Baby You Belong
by Lil Grrl Bleu
Summary: Just when Ed and Sam think that life is getting back to normal, a wrench is thrown in their plans. Sequel to First Cut Is the Deepest. COMPLETE!
1. Default Chapter

Title: Baby You Belong

Author: Mackenzie

Email: kenzie at iland dot net

Genre: "Las Vegas"

Spoilers: Everything, including tonight's show (03-14-05)

Disclaimers: I own the unrecognizable ones, GST owns everything else, lucky bastard. However, if he'd be interested in purchasing the original characters, they can be bought in exchange for a very steamy sex scene between James Caan and yours truly.

Props: The title comes from a song by Faith Hill of the same name, which can be found on her album "Cry".

Author's Notes: This story is a sequel to "The First Cut Is The Deepest", which was also a sequel to "When You Say Nothing At All". It would probably help you understand the flow of things if you read those two stories first and then read this one. If anybody needs those stories, simply email me and I'll get them out to you.

1/

"So, a big sister."

Sam rolled her eyes as she stopped walking when she heard the gruff voice of her boss, and current lover, behind her. Sighing deeply, she turned around and looked at him, "Yeah, so?"

"So," Ed began as he walked up to her, "why didn't you tell me? I mean, after all..." he paused as he grinned at her a little, his voice getting low and deep, "I've seen you naked, Samantha Jane."

Rolling her eyes once more, the brunette casino host resumed her walking. "Just because you've seen me naked doesn't mean that you know everything about my life, Ed."

"Obviously." Deline remarked. "I'm just curious, that's all, Sam. I think it's great, I really am surprised though that you still do it, what with having a daughter and all."

"Yeah, well, I haven't been able to keep up with it like before," she admitted reluctantly, "But I still try and set an hour or so aside a week to hang out with JJ, take her shopping, out to lunch, to a movie, that sort of thing."

Ed stopped and reached out, touching Sam's elbow, causing her to stop as well. Once she turned around, he gently pulled her over to him. Giving her a soft smile, the man tucked a lock of her hair behind an ear, "Listen, I think that it's great that you do that, I really do. It's amazing, Sam, and you've obviously had a very positive effect on her, which is also fantastic. It's just that..." he paused as he sighed deeply, "people think I know all about you, and I don't. I'm still learning about you, evidently."

"What is it you want to know, Ed?" She asked him softly.

"Well," he said as he shrugged, "More about you would be nice," he said as he laughed quietly.

Giving him a grin, Sam leaned over and kissed him softly, "Ask me anything you want next time I'm naked."

Winking at him, Sam walked away, leaving Ed to watch her go, "There's only one thing I want to ask you when you are naked, Sam!" He called out, "Top or bottom?" Quickly turning four shades of red when he saw guests watching him, Ed ducked into an employee's door and headed towards his office.

Danny McCoy got out of his black and yellow Camaro and looked around. Examining his surroundings with a look of admirable interest, he shut the car door behind him and walked up to a cluster of men in hard hats. "Hey," He called out with a smile, "anybody seen my dad?"

The group of men turned and smiled at the dark haired ex-Marine, one of them pointing to a flight of steps, "He's upstairs," he offered, "talking to the architect."

Nodding in thanks, Danny made his way to the steps and took them one at a time, making sure to keep his eyes and ears open for any falling debris. When he finally spotted his father, the son smiled softly as he watched him work. Even though Danny turned down the family business of construction for the military duty, and, later one, something sexier such as working surveillance and security for the Montecito Resort and Casino, one of the largest and most profitable casinos on the strip in Las Vegas, he still had a great appreciation for what his father did for a living.

Noticing the architect giving his father a pat on the shoulder and walking away, McCoy took that moment to walk over to his father, "Dad."

The eldest McCoy smiled at his son, and then his smile quickly faded. "Danny, my god," he exclaimed, grabbing an abandoned yellow hard hat, as he walked over to him, "What the hell are you thinking? This is a construction zone, you need a hard hat." Placing the hat on top of his son's head, Larry sighed. "You should know better than that."

Danny quickly ducked his head, admonished, "Yeah," he admitted, "I should, I'm sorry, Dad. I guess I just wasn't thinking."

McCoy senior waved it off, "No harm done, Danny Boy," he said good-naturedly. "What can I do for you?"

Walking downstairs behind his father, Danny waited to answer him till they were walking side by side, "You were the one who called me, Dad," he pointed out.

"Yeah," Larry said, "You are right." Sighing softly, he led his son into a finished room that they were using as a make-shift office. "Come on in," Once the two men were inside, Larry closed the door and looked at his son. The discomfort and embarrassment was apparent on his face, "Look, son," he began, "I need to borrow some money."

Danny blinked in surprise, for as long as he could remember it was the son who went to the father for money, not the other way around. Knowing his father was a proud man, Danny knew that it must have been something massive to go to his son for financial assistance. "Sure, dad," he said quietly, "how much do you need?"

His father looked away as he mumbled something. Unable to comprehend what was said, Danny leaned in close, "I'm sorry, Dad, I didn't catch that."

Sighing deeply, Larry looked at his son, "I said I need about thirty thousand."

The younger McCoy looked at his father, stunned, "30,000? Dad, are you in some kind of trouble or something?" He asked, concerned.

His father smiled softly at his son's concern, "No," he assured, "no trouble, Danny. At least nothing that I can't handle. Business has just been a little slow lately, and I'm behind on some equipment payments, that's all. But listen," he said, "if you don't have it, than don't worry, okay? I'll figure out something, I always do."

"No, no," Danny stated softly, "I'll get you the money, when do you need it by?"

The eldest McCoy sighed quietly, "Next week?"

Smiling softly, his son patted him on the shoulder, "Next week then," he confirmed. "I'll make sure you get it all."

"Thanks, Danny," Larry said quietly, his voice full of shame.

"Hey," Danny said, "look at how many times you've bailed my butt out where bills were concerned. Don't worry about it, Dad." Glancing at his watch, the ex-Marine sighed quietly, "Listen, Dad, I need to get back to work, but I'll call you, okay?"

Smiling softly, Larry nodded as he pulled his son in for a hug. "Sounds good, and thanks again, Danny. I love you, son."

Danny smiled as he hugged his father back, "I love you too, Dad, I'll see you later." Pulling out of his father's embrace, Danny walked out and got back into his car and headed back to the Montecito.

Watching his son leave, Larry rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply, "I'm sorry, Danny," he said softly, "but if you knew the truth, you'd want to kill these guys and I don't need my son fighting his old man's battles." Shaking his head, the eldest McCoy turned and walked back inside to meet with some of his workers.


	2. Chapter Two

2/

"I need 30,000." Danny declared as he walked into Ed's office.

Without missing a beat, and without lifting his eyes from the paperwork he was filling out, the older man responded, "Sorry, kid, but you haven't been doing well in school and you've been slacking in your chores, so your mother and I don't feel that you deserve a raise in your allowance."

Rolling his eyes, the ex-Marine responded, "I think my dad is in some sort of financial trouble. In fact, I know he is. He says he owes money on some equipment, but I think there's more to the story."

Intrigued, Deline lifted his piercing blue eyes and looked at his employees, "What sort of financial trouble? And what makes you think that I have 30,000 at my disposal?"

"Ed, come on," Danny said, "he who drives a Hummer and an Aston Martin, plus lives in a house that is probably worth close to 2 million dollars doesn't have thirty grand at his disposal? I'll pay you back every dime, I swear. How and when, I don't know, but you'll get your money back."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ed responded as he stood up. Walking over to the younger man, he said, "Don't worry about repayment, okay? Just tell me what is going on."

The ex-Marine sighed deeply. Running a hand through his dark hair, he just looked at his mentor. "I got a call this morning from my dad, he wanted to see me. So I drove out to his job site and he was acting very weird."

"Weird how?" Ed prompted.

"Weird, Ed. Not like himself. He was fidgety and acted like it was I who called him. Anyway, he told me he needed to borrow the money and said that he was late in equipment payments and that he's been slow in business."

Ed shrugged a shoulder, "The construction business hasn't exactly been booming lately, Danny, maybe there's a shred of truth to that."

Danny shook his head, "No, cause he's got projects in Tahoe and Reno. Tahoe is a pretty lucrative contract, Ed."

The former CIA agent sighed as he nodded, "Yeah," he agreed, "Tahoe's pretty important. You think he got himself into some sort of jam?"

Danny looked at him, "Like gambling?"

"Yeah," Ed said, "like gambling."

"No," he said as he shook his head, "we are locals. Dad knows better, besides, he doesn't play."

"At all?" his boss asked, "No weekly card games with the boys or bets on games?"

"My dad doesn't have 'boys', Ed. I mean, he's got friends, but they don't hang out, you know? Plus, when he's not at the site, or in his office working, he's home watching an old John Wayne western. His social life kind of got buried when we buried my mom."

Ed nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah," he said quietly. Clapping Danny on the shoulder, he sighed softly, "I'll get you the money, Danny, but only after we do some digging and find out what's going on, okay?"

Danny nodded, "Okay, thanks, Ed." As he headed to the door, he stopped and looked at his boss, "By the way, how are things going with you and Sam?"

The older man narrowed an eye as he looked at his protégée, "Why?" he asked cautiously.

Shrugging his shoulders, the younger man responded, "Just asking."

"Fine," he said with a soft smile, "we are fine, thanks."

"And Delinda's cool with everything?"

Ed glared at him, "What is it with this sudden interest in my personal life, Danny? Feeling the need to live vicariously or something?"

Danny winced, "No, it's just that, I sorta thought we had a moment there, you know... bonding."

"You sorta thought we had a moment..." he repeated. "And how did you come up with that? You pull it outta your ass or something?"

Opening his mouth to respond, the man quickly closed it. "You know," he said, "I think I'm going to go and figure out what's going on with my dad."

"Yeah, you do that," Ed said with a roll of his eyes.

Not saying anymore, McCoy turned and walked out of Ed's office.

Sam Marquez walked into Mystique on a mission. Spotting her friends in a cluster at the bar, she approached them. "Hey, have you guys seen Alan Polk?"

Mary Connell turned and looked at her friend, "Alan Polk... Tall, blond hair, green eyed Alan Polk? From Dallas?"

The casino host nodded, "Yeah, he was supposed to meet one of the dealers for a private blackjack session that I set up for him, but he was a no show."

"Um, actually," Delinda started, "I think I saw him getting into a limo heading for the Bellagio."

Sam sighed deeply as she rubbed her forehead, "Damnit!" Quickly grabbing her cell phone, she dialed a number and waited, "Lauren, it's Sam, did you steal my Dallas whale?" Drumming her nails on the bar as she listened, she rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well, all I have to say is that payback is a bitch, and don't think I don't know about those commodities traders you have coming in from Hong Kong next week either!" With a flick of her wrist, she disconnected the call and threw her phone on the bar in frustration.

Mary winced as she watched Sam vent, "You think somebody stole your whale?"

"Yeah," she said with a heavy sigh, "thing is, nobody knew he was coming in... well, nobody outside of the hotel anyway."

"Maybe there's a mole," Delinda stated.

"A mole?" the casino host said, an eyebrow quirked, "What do you mean 'a mole'?"

"Well, you know," the blonde woman said with a shrug of her shoulders, "maybe somebody's out to hijack your clients or something."

Sam continued to stare at Delinda suspiciously, "Well, if that's the case," she began, "than that person will be in a world of hurt."

That said, she grabbed her cell phone and walked out of Mystique. As they watched her go, Mary turned and looked at Delinda, "You sent Alan Polk to the Bellagio, didn't you?"

Feigning shock, Delinda said, "Now why would I do something like that, Mary?"

"Because you can't stand the fact that Sam is dating your father."

Saying nothing, Delinda flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked out, leaving Mary at the bar. Sighing deeply, she pushed herself off a barstool and went back to work.


	3. Chapter Three

3/

"Where's Sam?"

Ed Deline walked up behind his daughter who was working on some menu changes at the bar in Mystique. Turning around to look at her father, the blonde haired woman shrugged, "Don't know. She came tearing in here asking about a client and I told her that I saw him getting into a limo and going to the Bellagio."

The man just looked at her, uninterested, "And?"

"And," she said with a sigh, "Sam got pissed, made a phone call and got more pissed and left. I don't know where she went."

"Perfect," Deline sighed.

"Why? What's wrong?" Delinda inquired.

"Well, I had to go pick Jasmine up from school, but an important matter popped up and I can't do it."

"Oh," his daughter said, turning back around in her chair.

"Unless..." Ed said.

"Unless what, Dad?" Delinda asked as she wrote some notes out.

"Well, unless you wouldn't mind picking her up and bringing her back here," He said hopefully.

"Dad," she said with a sigh, "I have to get these menus finished, Gunther's having tissy fit over something so I have to make sure that he doesn't get drunk and refuse to lift a spatula, plus, Mary comped some people who couldn't get tickets to the Blue Man Group."

"Blue Man Group? They are at the Luxor," Ed said.

"I know, but apparently they are friends of her's or something and she felt guilty, I don't know."

"So, you won't do it?" Her father asked.

"I can't, Dad, I'm sorry."

"Okay," Ed said softly as he turned to go. "You know," he said, turning back around again, a smile on his face. "I remember when you used to fit in these hands, you were so beautiful, you still are... I'd feed you, play with you, when your mother was tired and I was at home, I'd get up in the middle of the night and feed and change you, I taught you how to ride a two wheeler, taught you how to dance... I think I even came to pick you up a few times when you were in high school and you went to parties and someone broke out the liquor. I can't remember, sweetheart, did your mother ever find out?" Shrugging, he added, "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" He stopped, still smiling at his daughter, "It's funny how fast the years fly by."

Sighing deeply, Delinda put her head in her hands, "What time does the school let out?" She asked as Ed headed out.

Her father turned and looked at her, "3:30, but if you can't make it..."

Delinda silenced him with an icy glare, "Like I have a choice?"

Smiling, Ed walked over and kissed her forehead, "I appreciate it, honey, thank you."

Turning to leave, Delinda continued to bore her eyes into the back of her father's head, "Bringing the parties up was a low blow, Daddy!"

Sam pulled her car into the parking lot of the Bellagio and walked in. Looking around as she walked into the hotel, she looked up and followed the signs and soon found herself in the casino. Walking in, she was undaunted by the sounds of the sirens, alarms, bells and whistles which were a staple of casino life.

As she passed a roulette wheel, she spotted a blonde woman cheering on a man. "Lauren!" Sam called out.

The woman spun around on her heel and grinned, "Samantha Jane. What brings you to this part of the strip?"

"Whale thieves aren't looked upon very kindly," she responded as she approached them. Looking at the man, who was obviously on a roll, she said, "Alan, the Montecito comped your suite and meals in hopes that you'd play there, what happened?"

Alan Polk looked at his former casino host, "That blonde woman told me that she couldn't comp my meals and suggested I try the Bellagio."

"What blonde woman?" Sam demanded, although she already had an idea who the said 'blonde woman' was.

"Belinda, I think was her name."

"Delinda," Sam corrected through clenched teeth. As she balled her fists up at her sides, she said, "Fine, you stay here, but expect a bill to be delivered here from the Montecito, which we expect will be paid."

That said, the woman turned on her heel and walked out.

Ed walked into First Security Bank and smiled at the woman behind the counter. "Hey, Trish, do I still have any money in this joint?"

The woman laughed as she nodded, "Good morning, Mr. Deline, and yes, I believe you still have a nickel or two in here."

Grinning, the man said, "Good. Listen, I need to make a large withdrawal from my personal account. Is Mr. Goodwin around?"

Trish nodded, "Yeah, let me call him, why don't you have a seat?"

Nodding, Ed walked over and sat down in a large plush leather chair as he waited. Moments later, a stocky man walked out into the lobby, "Ed!"

Deline turned around and smiled as he stood up, "Lamar, how are you?" Extending his hand, the two men greeted each other.

"I'm good, how have you been? That little girl you are raising doing okay?"

Ed smiled softly as he nodded, "Yeah," he agreed, "she's great." Eager to change the subject, he said, "Listen, I need to make a withdrawal and it's a pretty hefty one."

"Say no more," Lamar said as he led the other man into his office. Closing the door behind him, the bank president gestured for Ed to take a seat in one of the guest chairs as he sat behind his desk. "Your personal account I take it?"

Ed nodded, "Yeah,"

Goodwin nodded as he punched his keyboard for a few minutes, pulling up Ed's account. "So how's Sam?"

Swallowing a sigh, Deline nodded, "Good, she's good. Uh, Lamar, I'm in a bit of a rush here."

"Oh, sure, sure. I've got your account pulled up, how much do you need to take out?"

"30,000."

Lamar let out a low whistle, "You planning on making a charity donation?"

"Yeah," Ed said impatiently, "I'm donating to the 'I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't hurry the hell up fund'. That is tax deductible, right?"

Smirking at his friend, Goodwin said, "Yeah, yeah." After computing a few things, he stood up, "Okay, if you'll just wait right here, I'll go down to the vault and get you your money. How do you want it? Big bills or small ones?"

"Hundreds will be fine, thanks."

Nodding, Lamar left his office, leaving Ed to look around. His eyes zeroed in on a photo on Goodwin's desk. Reaching down, he picked it up and sighed deeply when he saw it was a picture of Goodwin, his wife, Ed and Jillian. Frowning, Ed ran a finger over the glass. "God," he whispered, "has it only been a little over a year?" Hearing the approaching footsteps of Goodwin, Ed quickly placed the photograph back down on the mahogany surface of the desk just before Lamar entered.

Extending his hand, Goodwin handed Ed a small case, "Your money."

"Thanks," Ed said as he accepted.

"I need your John Hancock on this please," He said as he handed Ed a clipboard. "Basically saying that you withdrew the money and we aren't liable for it once it leaves the building."

Deline nodded as he signed the paperwork, "Okay, thanks, Lamar, I appreciate it."

Lamar nodded as he shook Ed's hand, "Pleasure doing business with you, Ed. You take care of yourself."

Ed smiled, "I will, kiss Theresa for me."

The bank president nodded again as Ed left his office. Walking out into the parking lot, Ed fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door of his silver Aston-Martin convertible. He always loved to drive the sexy automobile when he conducted business. For a reason unexplainable to Deline, it made him feel like people would take him more serious. Of course, Deline told himself, there was always the strong possibility that if the person he was doing business with didn't take him seriously, than they'd end up leaving with two broken legs. Chuckling to himself, he started up the car and sped out of the parking lot, en route back to the Montecito.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Delinda Deline pulled her car up in front of the Belvedere Elementary school and checked her watch. Realizing she still had a few minutes before school let out, the woman reached over to the passenger seat and picked up the magazine that she brought with her and thumbed through it, not really involving herself in any of the editorials.

After killing a few moments, she tossed the glossy mag into the backseat and got out of the car. Locking the car, she enabled the security system and walked into the school and waited as the children filed noisily out into the halls. Getting nervous when she didn't spot Jasmine, Delinda walked into the school office and looked at the receptionist. "I am here to pick a little girl up and I haven't seen her come out of the classroom."

The woman looked at her, "What's the child's name?"

"Jasmine Marquez," Delinda responded as she waited.

The receptionist reached for a clip board and read it, "It looks like a Delinda Deline picked her up earlier, about three hours ago."

Delinda's face registered shock, "That's impossible. I'm Delinda Deline and I haven't picked her up. I'm here to do this for my father, he didn't even ask me to do it up until an hour ago."

The secretary's face became a mask of horror. "Have a seat."

"No," she refused, "I have to call my father," Reaching into her purse, Delinda realized she left her cell phone in her car. "I need to use a phone,"

"What?" The receptionist asked, not hearing her.

"A phone!" Delinda raced around the counter and picked up the phone and quickly dialed her father's cell phone number. "Come on, Daddy," she said softly, "please pick up."

Ed reached for his ringing cell phone as he whizzed down Las Vegas Boulevard. Passing the Mirage, he picked it up and answered it, "Deline."

"Daddy," Delinda said frantically, "I'm at the school and they said that somebody used my name and picked Jasmine up three hours ago."

"What!" Ed demanded, quickly pulling the car over. "What do you mean somebody picked her up!"

"I don't know!" She said as she began to shake, "Oh god, Daddy, I got here on time, I even got here a few minutes early."

"Okay," her father said as he sighed deeply, his own hands trembling, "I'll meet you at the school. I'm going to call Sam and have her meet us there, okay?"

Delinda nodded, "Okay, do you want me to call the police?"

"No," Ed stated as he pulled back out onto the road and drove into a parking lot so he could turn around. "No police, not yet. If we have to, I'll get Luis to help us."

"Yeah," she said as she sighed.

"I'm gonna call Sam," Ed said as he hung up the phone. Quickly turning it on again, he placed a call to Sam, getting her voice mail. Cursing, he said, "Sam, it's me. Call me ASAP, it's Jasmine." Hanging up the phone he pressed his foot on the gas pedal, going faster.

Sam stalked back into the Montecito and immediately felt her phone vibrate at her side. Grabbing it, she read that she had a voice mail waiting for her and she called to listen to it. Upon hearing Ed's message, she felt herself go numb. Quickly dialing Ed's cell phone number, she waited for him to answer.

"Deline."

"Ed, it's me, what's wrong? Is she sick?"

"Oh, god, Sam," Ed began, "get your ass to the school, okay? Please hurry, honey."

"What's wrong!" Sam demanded as she sprinted out of the hotel towards the employee parking garage. Once she reached her car, she got in and turned it on.

"I'll tell you when I get here, I don't want you to get into an accident."

"Ed," the woman began, frightened at the sound of his voice, "please tell me," she begged him as she pulled out of the garage.

In frustration, Deline ran a hand through his hair as he pulled up in front of the school. Cutting the engine, he said quietly, "She's been snatched, Sam."

Sam turned white as a sheet. Her voice got eerily calm, "I'll be right there," Disconnecting the call, she didn't allow herself the luxury of panicking until she was at the school, where she knew Ed could keep her from becoming unglued.

Speeding down the streets towards the school, Samantha Jane Marquez simply prayed that there were no police officers around who would dare try to pull her over. Knowing that she wouldn't stop until she reached the brick school, Sam felt herself going faster. "Please let her be okay," she said quietly.

The woman looked over at the sleeping child next to her. She couldn't help but grin smugly at herself as she reached into her purse and fished her cell phone out. Dialing an international number, she waited for an answer. "It's me," she said, "yeah, I have her, she's still pretty knocked out." The woman laughed quietly as she nodded, "It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be," Glancing at the child again, she said, "We should be there by this time tomorrow." She paused as she listened, "Yes, the girl will wake up thinking I'm her mother and you are her father. I'll see you soon." Disconnecting the call, the woman chuckled to herself, "You'll pay for the problems you inflicted on us... Both of you."


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Ed led Sam into the elementary school. The minute she saw her father, Delinda jumped to her feet and ran over to him, hugging him tightly as she cried, "Daddy, I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened, I was here on time."

Ed gently rubbed his daughter's back, "It's okay, honey," he said quietly, his voice raw with emotion. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Sam looked around blindly, "Where's Luis?"

"Right here."

The trio turned around to find Detective Luis Perez walking into the office. "Ed, Sam, the first few hours are crucial. Luckily, the first few hours are also the time that the child is recovered. I've got my guys scouring the area and surrounding areas as well."

Sam nodded as she wiped a tear and sighed deeply, "Just find my little girl, Luis, please."

The Hispanic police officer nodded, "I won't sleep until she's found, you have my word."

Ed wrapped an arm around Sam and pulled him close to him as Perez briefly excused himself to direct some officers on where to go, "Fan out," he told them, "I want every square inch of the school covered. Classrooms, bathrooms, halls, the gymnasium, cafeteria, playground, parking lots... Everything. Anything that doesn't look right, bag it, but be sure to wear latex gloves so you don't get your prints on it." Turning his attention back to Sam and Ed, he looked at them, "Listen, why don't you two meet me downtown, okay? We can get everything done then."

"No," Sam said as she shook her head, "Jasmine may come back here, what if she comes back and nobody's here? She'll think we don't care about her."

"Honey," Ed said gently, "she didn't runaway."

The woman just looked at him before crumbling in tears. Knowing she was becoming unglued, Ed quickly brought her over to a chair and sat her down. Sighing deeply as he held her, the man squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to stay strong for her sake. "Come on, sweetheart," he said quietly as he slowly stood her up, "Let's go and give Luis the information, okay?"

Nodding as she sniffled, Sam whispered softly, "Yeah."

Delinda watched as her father led her friend out and sat down, riddled with guilt. As he was leaving, Perez watched the woman sink down in a chair. "Delinda," he said softly as he walked over to her. Squatting in front of her, the man took her hands in his, "We'll find her," he said quietly, knowing she was beating herself up for it. "I promise. Nobody blames you either. I know Ed and Sam don't. How could you possibly have foreseen this coming?"

Nodding as a tear fell, she sighed deeply, "Yeah, I know. I'm just scared."

"Understandably so," Perez said quietly as he stood up. "Listen, you probably are in no condition to drive. Why don't you ride along with me, okay?" He held a hand down for Delinda.

Grasping at the offered hand, Delinda rose to her feet and nodded, "Yeah, okay, thanks."

Luis wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the school.

"Hey, have you seen Ed?" Danny asked as he walked into the surveillance area with two cups of coffee. Handing one to Mike, he sat down. "He was supposed to check on something for me."

"Hey, man," Mike said as he took the cup, "Thanks. No, I haven't seen Ed at all today."

"Damn," McCoy said with a sigh as he sat down, "He was supposed to help me out with a problem my dad is having."

Looking at his friend, Cannon asked, "Something wrong with Larry?"

"I don't know," Danny admitted, "I hope not."

"Yeah," Mike said quietly, going back to looking at the monitors, "Me too." His eyes focusing in one on of the cameras, he said quietly, "Damn, talk about being ready to pop a kid out at any moment."

"Whoa," Danny said as he looked at the monitor, "How far along do you think she is?"

"Judging by that watermelon she's carrying around, my guess is she was due sometime last millennium."

"There's sensitivity at it's finest," McCoy muttered softly.

"Hey, I'm just thinking of the other players." Mike defended, "I mean, having that pregnant of a woman playing at the tables has to be a distraction."

Danny sighed as he grabbed a phone, "Yeah, it's McCoy, do me a favor, okay? Have a paramedic unit on stand-by, okay? We have a very pregnant woman at pit eleven, the excitement of her surroundings may cause her to go into labor." Rolling his eyes, he said, "Yes, John, I'm serious."

From where he was sitting, Mike snickered, causing Danny to give him a glare. Once McCoy was finished on the phone, he hung up and sighed, "Damnit, Ed, where are you?"

Luis filed Ed, Sam and Delinda into a conference room at the main headquarters of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Once the trio was in the room, Perez closed the door behind them. "Can I get anybody anything? Soda? Water?" Glancing at Deline, he said, "Ed? Coffee?"

Ed shook his head no silently, as did the women. Sighing, Luis walked over and pressed the button on an intercom, "Can I get an officer in here, please?"

Sam looked at him, her face a mask of confusion, "You aren't going to lead this?"

"No," he said, "I am, but I just want to get an officer in here so they can take down some information."

The brunette nodded numbly and soon a uniformed police officer entered. Glancing at the detective, she asked, "Did you need me, Detective?"

Perez nodded in confirmation, "I need you to take down information."

"Yes, Sir," she said as she grabbed a legal pad and a pen and sat down. Luis Perez sighed softly as he looked at his friends. "Alright, Sam, I need you to explain to me, in as much detail as you can, what Jasmine wore this morning when you dropped her off at school."

Sam took a deep breath, "Oh god... Umm... bright pink cotton Capri pants... a little white button down tank top style shirt..."

"Was there any design on the shirt? Or any embroidery or anything on the pants?"

"Beads," Ed said quietly. "There was a little beaded fringe on the cuffs."

Delinda glanced at her father, surprised that he'd remember, or notice, such a minute detail. Sighing quietly, she wracked her brain to try and remember if she had seen Jasmine that morning.

"Sam?" Luis prompted, "Anything on the shirt?"

"The fabric had some little pink rosebuds embroidered on it, they matched the color of her pants... she had on white anklet socks and pink and white Nike tennis shoes..."

The officer in the room wrote everything down as Luis nodded, "Good," he said, gently patting Sam on the shoulder, "How was her hair fixed today? Down? Up? Curly? Straight?"

"Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail... it was curly... she had a pink ribbon..." Sam became silent as she remembered the last time she saw her daughter. Sighing deeply, she said softly, "I yelled at her this morning, she was messing around and we were running late..."

"Sam," Ed said softly, knowing what she was doing.

"I yelled at her, Ed," She said, turning to look at him, "I told her she needed to hurry up and get her ass in the car or else I was going to leave her at home." She put her head in her hands as she sighed deeply, a few tears streaking her face.

"You think you are the first person to tell a kid something like that, Sam?" Luis asked. "I can't tell you how many times I've told my nephews that if they didn't keep their mouths shut when the Lakers were playing than I'd shove one of my dirty, stinky gym socks into their throats."

"Did she have a backpack?" The female officer asked, trying to get everybody back on task.

Ed nodded, "Yeah, she had one, it was purple, it had some cartoon character on it, a few of them, actually."

"Any of them recognizable to you?" Luis asked.

Giving him a look, he said, "I don't follow today's cartoons."

"It was Dora," Delinda said, remembering the backpack. "It was that Dora the Explorer, and the monkey and fox."

"Swiper the fox," Sam said numbly, "and Boots."

Detective Perez sighed deeply, "Okay, do any of you guys have a recent picture of her?"

Sam grabbed her purse and took her wallet out. After thumbing through a small album, she found a picture of Jasmine at the Shark Reef at the Mandalay. Looking at the picture, the frazzled mother crumbled into tears, clutching the photograph close to her chest. Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Ed reached over and wrapped his arms around a sobbing Sam as Luis gently pried the picture from her fingers.

"I'll get this distributed out and get it back to you guys as soon as I can," He said quietly, his heart breaking for his friends.

As Luis left, Delinda suddenly felt uncomfortable. Standing to her feet, she slipped out of the room wordlessly and sighed as she ducked into a hallway containing vending machines. Walking over to one, she slipped some coins into it and pushed a button. When her selection didn't come out, she began to kick at the machine, pounding it hard with her fists.

As he was walking back into the room, Luis spotted Delinda abusing the machine. "Hey, hey," he said as he ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, trying to calm her.

"Let go of me!" Delinda demanded as she tried to twist out of the man's arms.

"Calm down," Luis said quietly, "just calm down." Moving in front of her, Perez held her as the woman sobbed.

"My dad can't lose another child," she sobbed, "he'll die if he loses another one."

Unsure of what Delinda was talking about, Luis put a thumbtack on that in his mind, "He won't," he said softly, "We'll find her and she's going to be fine, I promise."

Pulling back, the blonde looked at him, "How can you promise something like that, Luis?"

Giving her a soft smile, Perez tucked a lemony lock of hair behind the woman's ear, "Because I believe it in my heart." Leaning in, he kissed her cheek and looked at the vending machine. "Did you want something?"

Delinda nodded, "A sprite."

"Okay," Luis said softly as he put some more money in the machine. "These things are like strippers," he explained, "They'll only give something up after putting enough money in them." He pushed the button and then bent over and grabbed the bottle and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said softly as she twisted the cap off and took a drink.

Luis watched her, concerned, as she took a shaky breath. "Are you ready go back in there?"

Delinda nodded quietly as she let Luis lead her back into the room.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Luis led Delinda back into the conference room. Once she was in there, Ed looked at her, his voice was quiet, "Where were you?"

Holding up the bright green plastic bottle, she explained, "I got thirsty."

Deline nodded as he stood up and went over to hug his daughter tightly, "Nobody blames you for this, Delinda." Pulling back, he lifted her face up, forcing her to look at him. Repeating himself, he said firmly, "Nobody blames you for this."

She nodded quietly as a tear fell, "Okay."

Giving his daughter a quiet smile, Ed leaned in and kissed her cheek and hugged her again. As Delinda broke away from him, she walked over and took Sam's hand. The two women looked at each other and finally Delinda stepped forward and hugged her friend. "We'll find her," she said quietly. "We are going to find her and she's going to be perfect."

Sam hugged her back and nodded, "I hope so," she said quietly as she sighed.

Nodding quietly as she stepped back, Delinda looked around, "Is there anything I can do?"

Perez shook his head quietly, "At this point we are still canvassing the school, I suggest the three of you go home and wait for somebody to contact you."

"And what is it you suggest we do?" Sam snapped, "Sit with our thumbs up our asses while you guys get together and form search groups? My daughter is missing, Luis. She's missing. And you want us to go home while you canvas an elementary school? No, I'm sorry, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to get out there, and if I have to cover every square inch of this state by myself to find her, I will!"

Luis sighed quietly, "Sam, that wasn't what I meant. I just was saying that right now, my guys need to know you are in case we need to contact you."

"Sam," Ed's voice was gravelly as he looked at her. Holding his hand out, he said quietly, "Come on, honey, let me take you home. We can wait by the phone. She'll probably be home by this time tomorrow anyway."

The woman turned and looked at him. Slowly, she nodded her head, "Yeah," she said softly, "fine, let's go." Accepting his hand, Ed led her out of the room.

As she watched them go, Delinda ran a hand through her hair. Turning to look at the detective, she said, "Please find her."

Luis nodded, "We'll do everything we can, Delinda, you guys have my word on that. Now go on, go be with your dad."

The eldest Deline daughter nodded as she grabbed her purse and left. Once he was alone, Detective Perez walked out into the station house. Looking at the various people assembled, he announced, "I need to build a task force. We've got a seven year old little girl missing and she's the daughter of a good friend. Who is on board with me?"

The woman yawned as she woke up and found the that the girl next to her was still sound asleep. Frowning, she immediately grabbed her cell phone and placed a call. Within moments, the person on the other end had answered. "It's me," she said, "the girl's still sleeping, she hasn't woken up once." Looking at the girl, the woman continued, "No, I gave her the exact dosage, I measured it out precisely." Sighing softly, she thought she saw something, "Wait a second," she said quietly as she watched the girl squirm in her seat, "I think she's waking up now." The woman sighed deeply as she ran a hand through her curly ebony hair, "I know, I know, I just panicked. We can't afford for something to happen to her, she's our insurance policy." The woman chuckled softly as her coal black eyes took on a devious glint, "I know, I can't wait to see you too. I'd better go, she's waking up." Ending the call, she dropped the cellular into her black suede Prada bag.

Looking at the girl, she gave her a soft smile, "Hello, sweetheart."

Jasmine woke up and looked at the woman, softly, "I know you..."

"Alright, that's it," Danny declared, "I'm calling Ed."

"Man, would you just chill?" Mike asked. "The chick's fine, okay? She's enjoying her roll."

"Mike, Ed hasn't checked in since he got that call from Delinda. He didn't say a word about what happened, just grabbed his phone and left." Danny looked at his friend, "Doesn't that strike you somewhat as peculiar?"

"I don't know," Mike admitted, "I mean, yeah, I guess, but if something were going down, Ed would call us."

"How would you know?" The ex-Marine inquired.

"Because he's Ed," The African American man stated, "and Ed almost always keeps us in the loop."

"Yeah," Danny began, "'almost'."

"Danny," Mike sighed in annoyance, "if you are that worried about the man, call him on his cell phone."

The ex-Marine looked at his friend for half of a second before reaching for the black phone that was resting on the desk. Holding the receiver to his ear, McCoy dialed the number to Ed's cell phone and waited.

Ed descended down the staircase after making sure that Sam was sleeping in the bedroom. Hearing his cell phone ring from within his coat pocket, he grabbed it and fished the instrument out.

"Deline."

"Ed," Danny said, his voice filled with relief. "Thank god, we were beginning to think that you were lying face down in a ditch somewhere."

The former CIA agent visibly flinched at the metaphor. "Danny," he said softly, "it's not a good time to be making jokes like that,"

The former Marine sat down in a chair, his voice was soft and business-like, "What's going on, Ed?"

Ed sighed deeply as he walked into the kitchen, "Jasmine's missing. No, scratch that, she's been kidnapped."

"What?" Danny exclaimed jumping to his feet. His outburst caused the likes of Mike, Mitch and Sarasvati to look at him curiously.

"Where are you? Do you need me to help you guys search for her? Have the police been involved yet?"

"Danny," he sighed, "just stay there, okay? I'm at home right now, Sam and I just got back from Metro, Luis is all over this. I'd go looking for her myself, but I don't want to leave Sam alone, I want to stay by her."

"Ed," Danny began, "this is you and Sam. You can't expect me to just sit on my hands and do nothing. Please, tell me what I can do?"

Ed sighed deeply as he eyed an unopened bottle of wine. Deciding not to cloud his judgment with alcohol, he turned his back to the vice. "Just pray, man, that's all any of us can do. In the meantime, I want you and Mike to momentarily bump up on the job scale. I have some meetings scheduled with Steve Wynn this week and I can't blow them off, also I had a meeting with Brunson scheduled next Tuesday that can't be blown off either. Personnel has my schedule, I need you to take the meetings for me. Just explain to Gavin and Steve that there's an emergency in my family and I'm going to stay close to home."

"Right," Danny nodded, "Don't worry, Ed, I'm all over it."

"Good," he said, "Also, spread the word amongst the other hosts that Sam is going to be gone as well, so any clients that she was supposed to manage will have to be divvied up among them."

The ex-Marine nodded again as he wrote down the instructions that were begin given to him, "Got it. I'll also hunt Gunther down and tell him that Delinda's going to be gone for a while too since I'm sure that she's going to want to stick by your side during this thing."

"Yeah," Ed nodded. "I'm counting on you here, Danny. I can't have my head at home and be worrying about what's going on in my casino."

"Ed, don't worry," Danny assured. "I'll talk to Mike, fill him in on what's going on. We can handle things. You just stay with Delinda and Sam, and give me updates, okay? I'm worried about this too."

"Don't worry," Deline said, "I'll call you every few days or so and let you know what's going on. If you need to get into my office, use the master key from personnel. I'll call Trish and let her know that it's okay to give it to you and Mike, but, Danny, only you and Mike, okay? I don't want a bunch of people rifling through my things."

"Don't worry," the other man said, "Mike and I will try to avoid going in there."

"Okay," Ed said as he sighed deeply, trying to remember anything else that he should tell Danny. "The notes for the Steve Wynn meeting are in the blue folder in my credenza, the notes for the Brunson meeting are in a red folder, they are both labeled too in case you forget."

"Got it," Danny said, writing it down.

"Thanks, Danny, I appreciate this."

"Don't mention it, Ed, I'll talk to you in a few days. Kiss Sam and Delinda's cheeks for me and tell them I'll talk to them later on."

Ed nodded as he smiled faintly, "Yeah, I will, thanks, kid."

Danny hung up with a heavy sigh. "Oh man,"

Mike looked at him, "What's going on?"

Looking around, Danny decided he didn't want to get into it in front of everybody. "Come on," he said softly as he headed into a conference room. Once the door was shut, the former Marine looked at his friend, "Jasmine's been kidnapped. I don't know the details, Ed didn't give any, and, quite frankly, judging by how he was acting on the phone, he didn't appear to be ready to volunteer the information."

"Damn," Mike said as he sat down in a chair, stunned. Looking up at his friend, he asked, "How's Sam?"

"A nervous wreck. I guess they just got back from Metro or something," Danny answered, sitting down himself, and loosening his tie.

"What does Ed need us to do?"

The brown haired man looked at the note he wrote himself, "He needs me to take over as acting President till he gets back. He had some meetings scheduled next week that need to be done, so I'm going to call Trish and get his schedule, I guess you need to do my job too, which really isn't all that different from yours." He glanced up to see Mike nodding. "I'm sorry, Mike, I really wish I could get you another guy up here."

"Hey," Mike said, waving his hand, "It's cool, don't worry. I'll talk to Doug and see if we can't borrow some of the guys from Mystique for a bit."

"Yeah," Danny nodded, "Speaking of Mystique, Delinda's going to be gone for a while too, so I need to talk to Gunther and let him know."

Knowing the frustration that Danny got whenever he had to deal with Gunther, Mike said, "I'll handle G, he and I have an understanding."

"Thanks," he said as he laughed lightly. "I guess that's it. Um, for now, I guess if anybody asks about Ed, we tell them that he's taking some personal staff time. I seriously doubt that Ed or Sam want the whole hotel to know about this."

Mike nodded as he stood up, "Yeah, good point."

"Okay, I'm going to find Mary, see if she can't get the hosts together. I need to tell them that they need to take on Sam's clients for a few days," Danny said.

"Where's Sam going?"

Both men turned around to find Nessa standing in the doorway. Figuring she needed to know what was going on, Danny reached for her hand and brought her in. Taking a deep breath, he began, "Look, this can't leave the room, okay?"

The English woman looked at the man before her, "Danny, what's going on?"

Danny put his hands on her shoulders, "Jasmine was kidnapped. Ed and Sam just got back from Metro."

"Oh my god," Nessa said as a hand shot up to her mouth. "Where's Ed?" She demanded looking between both men, "Is he at home?"

"Yeah," Mike said softly.

"I just finished my shift, I don't go back on till tomorrow night. I'm going over there to see if I can do anything," Nessa declared.

"Ness," Danny said, "Give Sam and Ed our best, okay?"

The woman nodded as she kissed Danny's cheek and left.


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"Benito!"

The sounds of a thick German accent filled the kitchen of Mystique as a blonde haired man wearing a white chef's hat barreled through the room. Knocking over a bottle of olive oil, Mike nearly collided with the man.

"Whoa! G, where's the fire?"

Gunther gasped in surprise, "Mike! Oh my good friend, Mike, how are you?"

Mike gave him a soft smile, "Listen, Gunther, we need to talk, is there someplace we can go?"

The German man's face immediately became a mask of seriousness, "Sure, sure, we can go in here."

Gunther led Mike into a back room and closed the door, turning to look at the man, he said, "What is it?"

"Listen," Mike began softly, "Delinda's not gonna be in for a while. There's been a family emergency?"

"Is it Ed?" Gunther asked, his face suddenly ashen.

"No, no, Ed's cool, he's cool," Mike reassured, "Sam's little girl, Jasmine..."

"Ahh, yes," the other man responded with a nod of his head, "the only girl to ever get me to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,"

"Yeah," the man sighed with a sigh, "she's been kidnapped. Ed and Sam are a mess and so's Delinda so she's not going to be in for a while, at least not until they find her."

Gunther's face went paler than before, "Oh god... You tell Sam, and Ed, and Delinda... that Gunther will keep them in his thoughts and prayers."

Mike nodded, "I will, man, thanks. I need to get going, I have to get some stuff done, I just wanted to let you know what was going on."

The German man nodded as he gave Mike a pat on the shoulder. After the man had left, Gunther turned around, "Benito! You gypsy boy, where are you?"

Ed slowly walked into the bedroom, hoping to find Sam sleeping. Sighing quietly when he found her wide awake and on the phone, he walked further into the room, "Sam?"

"Shh!" The woman said, holding a finger up to him. Going back to her phone conversation, she said, "So you are sure that there's absolutely no way they could be behind this?" Sighing deeply, she nodded as she closed her eyes, "Yeah, okay, I just wanted to be sure. Thanks, Margie, for your help." She hung the phone up and lowered her head.

"What's going on?" Ed inquired as he sat down next to her, his hand resting on her knee.

"I just got off the phone with the facilities that the Clines are in. I wanted to know if this was sanctioned by them."

Nodding the man mentally kicked himself for not thinking of checking into that earlier. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Ed pulled her close and kissed the top of her head, softly, "Did I ever tell you about the time Jillian and I thought Delinda was kidnapped?"

"No," Sam said as she wiped a stray tear.

"We were on a rare vacation in Miami, we rented a condo right on the beach. Anyway, Delinda had to have been five or six at the time. Anyway, we just got to the hotel and she wanted to go to the beach. Jillian and I were absolutely exhausted, all we wanted to do was relax in the room, have some dinner and call it an early night. Delinda, she wouldn't hear anything of it." He paused, his finger circling around her knee slowly, "Anyway," he began with a heavy sigh, "things erupted into an argument and we ended up putting her to bed early, and the last thing she said to either of us was, 'one of these days, I won't be here for you to boss around'."

"Ouch," Sam winced.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Jill and I, we just thought that she was just spouting off at the mouth the way kids tend to do, so we watched some television and went to bed. The next morning, I woke up to the sounds of Jillian screaming. I ran into where the bedroom where Delinda was sleeping, only to find it empty with the window wide open and the curtains blowing. It looked like a kidnapping, Sam, there was every indication that that's exactly what it was."

Turning, she looked at him, "What did you do?"

"We notified the police immediately. We did everything that you and I are doing now. Jillian was a mess, couldn't stop crying for five minutes, they ended up having to call in a doctor and give her a mild sedative just so she could be calm enough to get some sleep. I really thought it was a kidnapping, Sam. I mean, at the time I was still active in the Company, and, in fact, Jack and I just got back from Ireland after busting a group of thugs."

"Wait a sec," she interrupted, "Jack? As in Keller?"

Ed nodded, "Yeah, he wasn't lying when he said we were partners."

"Damn," she said softly.

"Anyway, for almost three days Jillian and I were absolutely nuts with worry and sick with guilt and regret. Then one night, about eleven or so, there was a knock on the door and it was the police. Immediately we expected the worst, we thought they had found her dead, or something. We opened the door and there was an officer holding Delinda. Turns out, she got so pissed off at us for not going to the beach that night, that she ran away and got lost."

"Oh god," Sam said as she closed her eyes with a heavy sigh. "I don't think that Jasmine would run away, though, Ed."

"No," he agreed, "I don't either, but the point is that she was found and she was okay." Ed shifted his body to look at her, "I won't rest until that little girl is back with us, Sam. If I have to go days without sleep, than I will. Even if I have to call Luis every hour on the hour, I will."

The woman nodded as some more tears fell. "Okay," she whispered as she hugged him. "I never thought I'd ever love anybody as much as I love the two of you, Ed. If something happens to her..."

"Shh," he said, cutting her off, "don't think that. She's going to be fine."

Sam nodded and sighed deeply, "Yeah," she said.

Ed kissed her temple and pulled back, looking at her, "I want you to get some rest, okay? For me, please, just lay down and try and get a little sleep."

"I can't sleep, Ed," she said as she shook her head.

"Honey, you are beyond exhausted, please, just for an hour."

"Ed," Sam began, "you are exhausted too."

He sighed, "You want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "You aren't going to back off from this, are you?"

"Have I ever backed off from anything, Sam?" Ed asked pointedly.

"Good point," she admitted. "Okay, fine, I'll try to sleep, but, yes, I want you to stay with me till I fall asleep."

He nodded as he took his shoes off, "Okay."

Once Sam had laid down on the bed, Ed laid down next to her, rolling over onto his side so he was facing her back. Draping an arm around her hip, he stayed with her until he heard the heavy, sleep induced breathing.

"Where's our money?"

Larry McCoy looked up at the men who were standing before his desk. Feeling a wave of fear run through him, the man rose to his feet, "It's coming. I haven't gotten it yet, but I swear to god, you'll get it, I just need some time."

One of the men, dressed in black, shook his head, "Not wise, McCoy. I told you, 30,000 by today, and you haven't gotten it. I guess that raises it up to, what," he turned and looked at the other man, "fifty?"

His accomplice nodded, "Fifty sounds good."

Larry closed his eyes as he sighed, "You will have the money, I promise. I just need a little bit of time to gather it up."

"You see, that's where I start to get concerned about your hearing, McCoy. I didn't say 'I want the money at your earliest convenience'. I said, 'I want the money now'. You ran and played with the big dogs and now you have to pay up like a big dog."

"I didn't do anything!" Larry said, "All I did was get a building permit and start construction, that's it."

"You started construction on land that belonged to me!" The man said. Turning to look at his friend, he accepted the baseball bat that was being held to him. "Maybe this will give you some incentive to get your ass in gear."

That said, the man took the baseball bat and began to hit Larry's computer and other equipment. After thoroughly trashing the office, he threw the bat down as the accomplice ran up from behind Larry and grabbed his arms and pinned them behind.

Once Larry was held, the man in black balled his fist up and began to deliver blows into the man's stomach and ribs. After a good ten minutes, the accomplice threw Larry to the ground as the man in black sneered down at him, "Fifty grand by tomorrow or the next time I'll use the bat on your head!"

McCoy groaned in pain as the men walked out.

"You don't know me," The woman insisted as she looked at Jasmine. "I am a friend of your parents."

Jasmine looked at her curiously, "Where are mama and daddy? Why aren't they here?"

"Your parents," the woman began, "decided that they didn't want you anymore. They were going to drop you off at family services tonight, so I took you instead. I'm your new mommy and we are going to meet your new daddy now."

"No!" The girl screamed, "My mommy and daddy love me and want me."

"Jacinda," the woman said, "your parents are selfish people. They only care about themselves and money."

Jasmine looked at her, confused, "My name is Jasmine."

The woman smiled, "Your father and I felt that Jacinda was a much prettier name."

The plane began its descent and the woman smiled at her, "Buckle up, Jacinda, soon we will be with daddy."


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

"Oh shit!" Ed exclaimed when he woke up with a start. Sighing, he quickly looked down and found Sam sleeping soundly. Easing himself out of bed, he walked out of the room and into the his office where he picked the phone up and dialed a number.

"Yeah, give me surveillance, please, this is Ed Deline," he said once the person on the other end of the phone had picked up. Seconds later, he said, "Danny, I totally forgot, I have your money. I'm sorry I didn't think of it earlier, it just slipped my mind." He paused as he listened to his protégée. "Yeah, swing by the house and I'll get it to you." Deline smiled softly as he shook his head, "Quit saying that, okay? You don't have to worry about paying me back, buy me a steak at Mystique one night and we'll call things even." The man nodded as he glanced down at his desk, "Yeah, I'd better get off this line in case if somebody tries to get through, I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" He hung up the phone and sighed deeply and then jumped when he felt a pair of hands come up from behind and rest on his chest.

He turned around and looked at the brunette woman who had mysteriously appeared behind him. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I thought you didn't get into the financial affairs of your employees?" She shot back with a quirk of her brow.

Ed chuckled quietly, "Danny... His father's in some sort of a jam so I told him I'd help him out."

Sam's brow furrowed, "How bad of a jam?"

"Thirty grand,"

The woman winced, "I hope things get better for him, Larry's a good, decent man."

"Yeah," Ed agreed, "There are so few of us too."

She smiled softly at him, "Yeah,"

Placing an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder, he led her down the stairs, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," she admitted, "worried, scared, nervous..."

Ed nodded, "I know, me too. I'm glad you slept though, you needed it."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, you did too." She sighed when they got down to the kitchen. Drumming her nails on the counter, she looked at Ed, "You think it'd drive Luis completely out of his mind if I called for an update?"

"You know what?" He asked her as he reached into the fridge and grabbed two Coronas, "I don't care if it sends him all the way to the loony bin, call the man."

She nodded as she reached for the cordless phone and dialed the number to the police station. After asking for Luis' extension, Sam swiveled around on the barstool.

As Sam made her call, Ed twisted the caps off the bottles and placed one in front of Sam and took a drink out of his beer. It was only after he felt the alcohol slide down his throat, that Deline wondered where it came from. Knowing that he and Sam weren't beer drinkers, he had to scratch his head in puzzlement. A few moments later, he heard the beep of the phone and saw Sam set it back down.

"Nothing?"

She sighed as she shook her head no. "This is a nightmare."

Setting the bottle down on the counter, Ed walked over and hugged her, "She's gonna be found, Sam."

"I'm just..." she ran her hands through her dark hair, "so damn frustrated! I have this urge to just break something, completely trash a hotel room or something."

Feeling her frustrated rage, Ed looked around and spotted a platter. Grabbing it, he threw it down with force on the tile, watching it shatter. Grabbing some bottles of wine, he handed them to Sam, "Break away."

Looking at him in shock, Sam suddenly felt herself blush, "Ed, I'm not going to destroy your home."

"This is all materialistic, Sam," he said, taking one of the bottles and throwing it against the wall. "Come on, break some stuff. It's a good way to vent and get out our anger and frustration."

Looking around, Sam spotted a decorative pitcher on a shelf. Pushing herself off the bar stool, she grabbed it, "I've always hated this ugly thing."

"Me too," Ed agreed, "break it."

Without hesitation, she threw the pitcher on the floor, cringing as it broke. Letting out an anguished cry, she propped her elbows down on the tiled counter and put her head in her hands.

Staying where he was at, Ed felt the strings of his heart tugged as he watched, and listened, to the gut wrenching sobs escape from the woman that he loved.

Detective Luis Perez walked back into the conference room after taking the call from Sam Marquez. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand through his dark brown hair and looked down at the many images of Jasmine Marquez which littered his desk.

"Hey,"

Luis looked up in his doorway and found Delinda Deline standing there, holding a box of what appeared to be food. "I thought you went home to be with your dad and Sam."

Delinda shrugged as she walked in, "Daddy already has one hysterical woman he has to try and keep calm, he doesn't need another." She set the box of food on his desk, "I thought maybe you might be hungry so I picked up some Chinese."

Perez smiled softly at the consideration, "That was sweet, Delinda, thanks. How much do I owe you?" He took his wallet out from his back pocket.

"Put that back, Luis," Delinda said as she took the cartons out of the box, "this is on me."

"Well, thanks," he said, helping her lift them out. "How are your dad and Sam?"

The woman nodded as she sat down, "I'm not really sure to be honest. The three of us sort of went our separate ways once we finished up here. I am getting the impression that dad kind of doesn't want a third wheel around, you know?"

Luis frowned as he sat down, "Delinda, Ed doesn't think of you as a third wheel. He loves you very much. My god, can't you see it? You are the man's sun, moon and stars all wrapped up in one."

Delinda gave the man a soft smile, "I know he loves me, it's just really hard for me to see him with someone else, especially someone whom I consider to be a good friend. It totally creeps me out knowing that they both share the same bed that my dad shared with my mom."

The man's fork became suspended in mid-air en route to his mouth. "Yeah," he agreed, "that'd creep me out too."

She laughed quietly at his expression and then sighed deeply as she dropped her fork. "Who am I kidding? I can't eat right now."

Luis set his own fork down, "Delinda... earlier, you said that Ed couldn't lose another child... what did you mean?"

Delinda sighed as she looked at him. Normally she would never consider revealing such an intimate part of her life, but for some reason, a reason she couldn't explain, she felt like she was safe with the detective. "I had a twin," she confessed, "his name was Brandon. My mom was in a car accident when we were four, Brandon was with her and I was with dad. Needless to say, Brandon didn't make it."

"Oh, Delinda," Luis said as he reached across the table and took her hand, "I am so sorry, I had no idea."

The blond woman shrugged as she ran a hand through her tresses, "I just really don't want him to have to go through this again, Luis. He'll die if he does, I know he will. He may not physically die, but his spirit, heart and soul will disappear, so he may as well die."

"Delinda, if I have to travel to the four corners of the earth, and if it takes me to my dying breath, I swear to you, Ed will not have to go through that."

She smiled quietly as she leaned across the table and kissed his cheek.

The plane slowly taxied to the terminal. Jasmine looked around, suddenly afraid. Without warning, the woman grabbed her hand as they rose to their feet. "Jacinda, don't dawdle, we have to get out there, daddy is waiting for us."

The little girl visibly stiffened in fear, causing the woman to sigh as she knelt down to pick her up. Carrying her on her hip, she said quietly, "You scream, you'll pay."

Knowing that the woman would hurt her, Jasmine kept quiet. Squirming in the woman's arms, she said, "I want to walk."

The woman looked at her, "Can I trust you not to run?"

Jasmine nodded in silence and soon was back on the ground, her hand clamped tightly in the woman's.

As the two walked off the plane, the woman's expression went blank when she saw who was waiting for them. Walking over to the man, she said, "Where is he?"

Richie Phillips smiled at her, "Karla, Karla, Karla, you aren't happy to see me?"

Karla Marin's face didn't mirror the smile that was on the man to whom she was speaking, "Where's Jonathan, Richie?

"Would you relax?" Phillips said. Adopting the voice of Sean Connery, Richie added, "He's in a place that is secure."

Marin rolled her eyes, "Let's just get there, okay? Jacinda is giving me problems and the quicker we get there, the better."

"Sounds good," the man agreed.

Ed walked into the living room, holding a tray with a sea foam green tea pot and matching cups. "Here, sweetie," he said as he set the tray down on the table. "I made you some tea."

Sam looked at the surface of the tray, her eyes focusing on two white pills, "Ed, what are those?"

"Tylenol," he said, handing them to her. "I thought they could help your headache."

She looked up at him, softly, "How do you know I have a headache?"

Ed smiled at her quietly as he sat down next to her, placing the pills in the palm of her hand, "Because I know when you get upset and cry, a headache often follows."

Sam nodded as she put the pills in her mouth and washed them down with a cup of tea. Sighing deeply, she moved closer to him and put her head on his shoulder. Ed wrapped his arms around her and sighed quietly, "I called a friend, they are going to help us find Jasmine. He ought to be here in a minute."

She nodded, softly, "Who?"

Before he could answer, the door bell rang. Ed kissed Sam's temples, "He's here." He disentangled himself away from her and walked over and answered the door, only to be met with the panicked face Jack Keller.

"Jack," Ed greeted, pulling the man in for a hug.

"I got here as quick as I could, Eddie," Jack said, giving his friend a hug back. "What do you need me to do?"

Sam rose to her feet and watched the two men. "Over my dead body will this man have anything whatsoever to do with helping me find my daughter."


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Absolutely not, no," Sam exclaimed as she walked towards Jack. "Go, now." She grabbed the man by the arm and led him to the door.

"Sam," Ed began as he walked towards her, "Come on, he's here to help."

"Help?" She shot back, spinning around on her heel. "When has he ever helped you, Ed? When he tried to rob the Montecito? When he stole a painting from the gallery? Or how about this? Where was he when you found out your wife had cancer? Where was he when you were sitting at her bedside, holding her hand, watching her die? Where was he then, Ed? Where was he when you buried your wife? Yeah, where was your good pal Jack then, Ed, huh? Knowing him, he was probably out there screwing every blonde, brunette and redhead from here to Tijuana!" She paused to catch her breath, without realizing how bad she was damaging an already fragile situation, she continued, "I thought you were a smart man, Ed, I thought you were brilliant. It saddens me that you'd be so stupid as to trust a snake."

Ed narrowed his angry steel blue eyes. His voice lowered to an intensely angry tone. "I will take into consideration that you are angry, scared, frustrated and that you are feeling helpless because I feel those same damn things right now, but don't you ever question my intelligence again. I may not be brilliant, Sam, but I know who the hell I can trust with certain matters." Pointing at Jack, he said, "I don't trust that man as far as I can throw him when it comes to a business matter."

"Gee, thanks," Jack mumbled.

Glaring at Jack, Ed turned and looked at Sam, "But I can't think of a man that I'd want more helping us."

Sam looked away from him, embarrassed by her outburst, "You are right," she said quietly, "I'm sorry." Lifting her dark eyes, she turned and looked at Jack, "I'm sorry. If Ed trusts you, than I guess that's good enough for me."

Keller held up his hand, softly, "You have reason not to trust me, I accept that. But I'm on your side in this. Kids are my weakness. I got two nieces about Jasmine's age and those two little girls mean more to me than you'll ever know." He paused as he walked over to her. Taking her hands in his, he promised, "No funny business, okay? I'm here to a do a job for a man who has been a mentor to me. I will not screw this up."

The woman nodded as she sighed. Turning to Ed she said, "I'm going to go and check on a few clients." She walked into the den and shut the door behind her.

The minute he heard the door close, Ed turned and looked at Keller, "You screw this up, Jack, so help me god, I'll kick your ass so hard your unborn children will come out with a set of morals and values that would make Christ proud. Understood?"

Keller nodded, "Understood."

"Ed?"

The man turned and looked at the open front door and the person who was standing in it. Sighing deeply, he walked over and grabbed the woman and pulled her in close to a hug, "Hey honey."

Nessa Holt hugged her surrogate father back as she brushed her lips over his cheek. Pulling back, it was clear that she had been crying. "Danny and Mike told me about Jasmine, what can I do?"

Ed sighed as he grabbed her hand, leading her into the living room. "Nothing," he said, "the police are all over this, I'm doing this by the book."

"But, Ed," Nessa said, stopping to look at him. "You could accomplish so much more, in such a quicker time, if you used your contacts."

"Ness," he said, looking at her. Lowering his voice, he said, "You were the only person I could talk to extensively about what I did. Delinda didn't understand and Jillian didn't want to know. I'm not going to dig up old contacts for this. Until I get an idea of who is behind this, I don't want to tip off any enemies."

The woman sighed as she nodded, "Yeah," she agreed, "I see your point."

"Ed."

Deline turned around to find Jack and a very confused Danny standing in the entryway. "Danny," Ed said, approaching the younger man. "I got that file out in my car."

"You left it in your car?" Danny asked, surprised.

Looking at him, he said, "I've been a little pre-occupied this morning, Danny."

"Right," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm sorry, Ed."

"What file?" Nessa questioned.

Turning back to look at her, Ed said, "Something for a meeting." Looking at Danny, he said, "Come on." Leading him outside, Ed opened the door to the Hummer, leaving Nessa inside, face to face with Keller.

Jack sighed as he watched the woman, preparing himself for the riot act which he was sure to come.

Larry McCoy slowly rose to his feet. After laying on the floor for nearly an hour, he was surprised that he didn't pass out from the pain. Grabbing the corner of the desk, he used it to push himself up with a painful sigh. Looking around, the eldest McCoy was grateful that his men were having lunch.

"At least I can clean myself up before they get here," he said quietly, making his way to the nearest bathroom. Once he got inside, he flipped the light switched and briefly congratulated himself for getting the wiring set up in a way that wouldn't short. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he sighed deeply as he looked heavenward, "Help me out here, Bethie," he pleaded quietly to his deceased wife, "please help me dig myself out of this, don't make me go crawling to my son in shame because I couldn't handle this."

Reaching for the faucet, he turned it on and grabbed several paper towels and cleaned himself up as best he could. Knowing he still looked pretty bad, McCoy knew there wasn't much more he could do.

Walking out into the room again, he groaned when he saw the destroyed equipment, "God," he said with a sigh as he slid down the wall in defeat.

Luis threw the empty carton of moo goo gai pan into the trashcan. "Thanks, Delinda, that was really good, it hit the spot."

The woman smiled at him, "I'm glad you liked it, I'll have to remember to tell my dad about it, he loves good Chinese food."

Nodding Perez sighed deeply as he put his hands on his hips, "I just wish I could give Ed some good news myself."

"You will," she said, walking over to her friend. "Listen, it's getting pretty late. I'm going to go back to my dad's tonight. I'm sure Nessa's probably there by now too."

"Yeah," the man said. "Tell Ed and Sam I'm going to stay on top of his and I'll call them if we get any developments."

Delinda nodded, "I will," she promised.

"Delinda, listen, if anything happens tonight, if you guys get any calls..."

"Calls?" She asked him curiously. Dawning on her, she said, "You mean like ransom calls? You think this is going to turn into that?"

"I don't know," Perez admitted with a sigh, "Your dad, he's pretty influential, not only in Vegas, but in a lot of other places too. I mean, with his past and all..."

"You think this is a CIA thing?" Delinda asked, suddenly nervous. If enemies that her father had made from his days in the CIA found out that he had another little girl, who knew what would happen.

"Delinda, I don't know what this is," Luis said, "It could be something related to the CIA, something related to somebody that he's busted here in Vegas, or something totally random. I don't know. But until we do find out what's going on, than I don't want to slam any doors."

"Yeah," Delinda said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair, "I'll tell dad and Sam to contact you if anybody calls."

"Thank you," Perez nodded, as he hugged his friend. "Listen, let me drive you home, okay?"

"No," The woman said, "I can get there myself, I'm fine, really."

"Delinda, please, I'd feel much better if you let me escort you."

"Luis," she smiled, "I can drive myself to my dad's, really, I'll be fine."

Luis sighed as he looked around, "Okay, but call me when you get there, okay?"

Delinda nodded, "I will, I'll talk to you later."

She grabbed her purse and walked out of his office.

"Here," Ed stated, turning over a fat manila envelope over to Danny, "Thirty grand, it's all there."

"Ed," Danny said, accepting it with a sigh, "Thank you, I don't know how I can ever repay you. It really means a lot that you'd help my dad out like this."

"Your dad is a good man, Danny," Ed said, slamming the driver side door of his cherry red h2 Hummer. "I'm sorry that he's seemed to have gotten himself into a jam, I promise I'll look into what's going on."

"What?" Danny asked, surprised, "No, Ed, you keep your head with Sam. I'll look into my dad's problem and if I need help, I'll draft Mike."

The older man sighed, "Keep me in the loop, though, okay? And if you guys run into a road block, let me know and I'll pitch in."

"Yeah," McCoy nodded. Holding up the envelope, he said, "Thanks again, Ed."

"Don't mention it," Ed said.

The former Marine looked at his boss, "The same goes for you too, you know that right?"

Deline looked at the younger man and nodded, pulling him in for a hug, "Thank you, Danny. I should get back in before Sam and Nessa gang up on Jack."

"Yeah," Danny said, walking with him, "Why's he here?"

"Because I need the manpower," Ed responded in a fashion that was clear to McCoy not to press the subject.

"I can live with that."

"I can't tell you what that means to me," the former CIA agent said.

Chuckling softly, Danny shook his head, "Okay, I'm going to run this by my dad's site, but call me and let me know what's going on, okay?"

"Will do," Ed promised, walking back into the house.

"I think it's time we made a phone call," Richie declared, reaching for a cell phone.

"Are you out of your mind?" Karla asked, snatching the phone from him, "Tam hasn't gotten us the untraceable ones yet, you dolt. These could lead Deline right to us. Besides, Jonathan hasn't told us yet his plans. He may not want a ransom."

"Not want a ransom?" Phillips asked, "Ed Deline takes a shit and he grabs a 1000 dollar bill to wipe his ass. We can make a killing off this brat."

"Perhaps a killing," Karla said, "is exactly what Jonathan wants to do."

Catching the devious twinkle in the woman's eye, Richie began to laugh as he drove down the road.


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

"Dad?"

Danny McCoy walked into the trailer of where his father's job site was. Stopping short, he looked around and saw all the debris, "What the hell happened here?"

Larry looked up at his son as he picked some of the damaged equipment up, "Your guess is as good as mine," he said, "I came in here from lunch and the place was destroyed."

"Have you called the cops?" His son asked, walking in and picking up a computer monitor.

"They've already been here and took the statement."

"What about your insurance company? Surely they can replace this stuff."

Larry sighed deeply as he rose to his feet, "Not yet."

Danny turned and looked at his father, "How'd you get the shiner, Dad?" Upon further examination, Danny suddenly found himself angry, "What happened? Who got to you?"

"Danny," his father sighed again, "I'm fine, okay? I told you, I came in here and a guy was destroying the place."

"No," Danny said, "You told me that you came in here and the place was already a mess. Quit lying to me, dad, tell me what happened?"

The eldest McCoy looked away from his son in shame, "I didn't want you to know about this, Danny..."

"Dad," his son said softly, "just tell me what's going on."

Larry sighed deeply, "I think I may have gotten myself in a bind."

"What kind of a bind?" Danny demanded.

"I was hired to build a development of town houses and I guess the land on which I am to built was owned by a group of thugs."

"Who?" His son asked.

"Danny," Larry began.

"Dad."

His father took in a deep breath and then exhaled it slowly, "Roberto Menendez."

"Roberto Menendez?" Danny asked in shock. Knowing that Menendez was one of the largest distributors of cocaine and heroin in the country, the younger man just sat down, too stunned to react. Looking at his father, Danny said, "We need to call Luis, Dad."

"No," Larry said, shaking his head, "The last thing I want is for Luis to get involved. I can handle this."

"Oh yeah," his son retorted with sarcasm. Gesturing to the contusions on his father's face, he added, "I can see that."

"Danny, listen to me," Larry said, looking his son squarely in the eye, "I've got this covered."

Danny sighed deeply in frustration. Reaching into his pocket, he produced the manila envelope from Ed. "Here's the money."

The other man's eyes locked on the offered envelope. Larry reached out and grabbed it, "I don't know where you got this money, Danny, but thank you. I'll pay back every cent."

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving it off. "You just take care of yourself and don't let yourself get too deep into something you can't get out."

"I promise," Larry confirmed. Pulling his son into an embrace, he sighed, "Thank you so much, Danny."

"Don't mention it, Dad," Danny said, hugging his father back, "Like I said, you just take care of yourself."

"Yeah," his father said with a heavy sigh, stepping back, "I will. You want to grab a beer one night this week?"

The younger man smiled, "Sounds good. I gotta get back to work, but I'll call you." Smiling at his father, Danny turned and left, heading back to work.

"I want my mom and dad,"

Richie groaned deeply, "God, can't you shut that kid up? She's been going on and on non-stop since we left the airport!"

Karla glared at the driver, lowering her voice, "Show some compassion, okay?" Turning around, she looked at Jasmine, "Jacinda, I told you, your mom and dad don't want you anymore, they were going to just leave you out in the desert by yourself, if it weren't for me, that's what they would have done."

Jasmine shook her head no, her chocolate curls swishing around her face, "That's a lie," she boldly stated, "my parents are looking for me, and they are going to find me."

Marin sighed in annoyance, she was beginning to grow tired of the girl. "Who taught you how to be so rude?"

"I bet it was that bitch slut of a mother," Phillips remarked. "She had a mouth on her."

Reaching into the glove compartment, Karla pulled out a roll of duct tape and went into the back seat and tore a strip off. Jasmine looked at her in horror, "What are you doing?"

"Giving myself some sanity," she responded before slapping it over the girl's mouth. Tearing off some more longer strips, she bound the girls hands tightly together behind her so she couldn't move them. Sighing, she climbed back up into the front seat. "I think it's time we made a phone call." She grabbed the untraceable cell phone from her purse. Before they left, Ritchie had it fitted with a number scrambler and a voice alteration took. Turning it on, she dialed a number.

"I wonder what she's doing right now... if she's hungry, cold, or scared."

Ed sighed quietly as he turned and looked at Sam, "Don't do this to yourself, Sam. It's not worth it."

"My daughter is not worth my worry?" Sam shot back, looking at him.

"Our daughter," Ed corrected. "Just because I haven't formally adopted her yet doesn't meant that I'm not her father. I am just as sick over this as you are."

The woman sighed as she glanced down, "I'm sorry, you are right," she responded softly.

Deline moved over onto the couch and took her in his arms and sighed deeply as he held her. The two were silent until the sound of a ringing phone broke through their reverie.

"I'll get it," Sam said numbly as she stood up. Walking over to the phone, she picked it up, "Hello?"

Karla Marin smiled when she heard the voice of Sam. Knowing her voice was being scrambled, she taunted, "Miss Marquez, I'm sitting here, looking at your daughter, and thinking what a beautiful creature she is."

Sam felt her blood run cold, "Who is this?" She demanded. "Where is my daughter!"

Ed quickly rose to his feet and walked over to where Sam was on the phone. "Give it here," he said quietly, taking the phone out of her hand. Putting the phone to his ear, Ed said, "Who the hell is this?"

Karla quickly handed the phone over to Ritchie, whispering softly, "It's Ed."

Ritchie pulled over and grinned. Taking the phone from her, he said in a gravelly, garbled voice "Would you just relax, things are fine."

Ed sighed as he clenched his fists at his sides, "Listen you cowardly fuck face... If one hair is harmed on the top of her head, so help me god, I'll beat you so hard your mother will feel it. I want to talk to my daughter, put her on."

Ritchie chuckled softly, "She's sleeping."

"Wake her up," Deline demanded.

"And deprive a child of sleep?"

Ed ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Just then, Delinda walked through the front door and saw Ed and Sam frantic. "What's going on?" She asked, dropping her purse on a table.

"It's the people who have Jasmine," Sam answered, near tears.

"Oh god," Delinda said, quickly going over to her purse and taking her cell phone out.

"What do you want?" Ed asked, "Money? Just tell me how much you want and I'll give you every dime."

"What makes you think we want money?" Ritchie demanded, suddenly angry.

"Because money is usually what you assholes want." Ed responded.

While her father was on the phone, Delinda walked into another room, dialing a number. Seconds later, she heard a voice on the other end, "Luis, it's me. My dad's on the phone with the kidnapper now." She paused as he asked her some questions, "No, I don't know, I just walked through the door, please hurry though." Listening to Perez, she nodded, "Yeah, okay, thanks." She disconnected the call and walked out into the foyer, "Luis is on his way."

Sam nodded mutely as she watched Ed pace the room like a caged animal. "You better pray that you end up getting killed when all this is over," he said coldly, "because if there isn't a bullet in your body, I swear to god, I'll put one there myself."

"Ed," Sam said quietly, "don't piss him off! He could hurt her."

The man held up a hand as he listened to Phillips' cackle. "When all of this is over," he promised, "there will be more than just one dead body."

Luis Perez quickly ran out of his office and looked at the task team that he had set up to help assist in the recovery of Jasmine Marquez. "Ed's on the phone with the kidnappers, they are making contact early. Joe, run down to the main office and get the phone taps and tracers. Helen, I need you to come along so you can talk to the family and try to help them keep level heads--I wouldn't expect too much cooperation from Ed though, if I were you. Rodney, get the truck ready, I'm heading out there now, you all have the address, I want to see each of your faces there in fifteen minutes."

That said, the detective briskly walked out.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Luis pulled his car into the driveway of Ed Deline's home. Getting out, he walked up the stone pathway and rung the bell, only to be greeted by Delinda. "Where are they?" Perez asked as he walked into the house.

"Living room," Delinda answered quietly. As Luis stepped away, she reached out and touched his arm, looking at him, "You knew this would happen didn't you?" Upon Luis' confused look, she elaborated, "That they'd make contact."

Perez sighed deeply, "I had a suspicion."

"Luis."

The detective whipped around to find a very shook up Ed Deline standing in the archway going into the living room. Approaching the former CIA agent, Luis said, "Ed, I've got some guys coming over now, we are going to tap your phones and get some tracers on them."

"Follow me," Ed demanded, heading through the kitchen.

Confused, Luis followed him, "Where are we going?"

"Basement," Deline responded, "I have the equipment down there."

Partly out of curiosity, the Hispanic man followed Ed down to the basement. When they got in there, Luis remained still as he watched Ed walk over to a large china cabinet. Perez stood in silent shock as he watched the older man effortlessly move the china cabinet out and reveal a hidden door.

"What the hell...?" He asked quietly as he watched Ed fish a key out of his pocket and unlock it.

Looking back at the police officer, Ed asked, "I'm not gonna get arrested for having what I'm going to show you, am I?"

Walking over to Ed, Luis said, "It depends on what's behind that door, Ed."

"I guess I'm gonna take my chances then," he responded, pulling the heavy door open. Reaching blindly into the pitch black room, Ed's fingers found a string hanging down, which he gave a tug. Seconds later, the room was illuminated with light.

"Holy shit, Ed," Perez said quietly as he looked around.

The walls were lined with shelves, upon which sat gas masks, ammunition, guns and knives. Along the back of the wall was a cabinet with a set of drawers, containing devices on tapping phones and other useful equipment. Luis' dark eyes surveyed the room, "Where the hell did you get all this?"

"Luis," Ed responded with a sigh, "You are forgetting, I'm a CIA agent."

"You are an ex CIA agent, Ed," Luis corrected, putting emphasis on the 'ex'.

Ignoring the correction, Deline walked in and opened the drawers, taking out phone taps, tape recorders, head sets and tracers as the detective just turned his head. Figuring he couldn't arrest someone for something that he didn't see, Luis decided it was best to just turn a blind eye to what was going on before him.

"Alright, let's go," Ed said, walking past Luis. As he exited the room, he pulled on the string again and the room went back to the pitch blackness which greeted them. Making sure the door was locked, Ed glanced around and spotted a basket and dropped everything in it so he could push the heavy piece of solid oak furniture back into place.

"Did Jillian know about this?" Perez asked interestedly.

"Yeah," he confirmed, "she knew a room like this existed, just didn't know what I kept in it. We had a room like this in every house we lived in."

Luis nodded, "And Sam? Does she know?"

Ed turned around and looked at him, "No," he said, "I love her, and I trust her, but she doesn't need to know every aspect of my life, especially the parts that occurred when she was still wearing diapers."

Perez found himself nodding again, understanding the logic. Wordlessly, he followed his host back up the stairs and into the kitchen. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Ed turned around and looked at him, "I don't want to get into any trouble for having the stuff that I have?"

Pasting a blank look on his face, Luis asked, "What stuff?"

The older man smiled softly in gratitude as he opened the door and walked into the kitchen. Making their way through the living room, Ed put the basket of stuff on the dining room table and began to help Luis get everything set up.

"Ed," he said softly, "if you had this stuff, why didn't you use it before now?"

Sighing softly, Deline looked at his friend, "I don't know," he admitted, "I guess I was just hoping I wouldn't have to."

"That makes sense," Perez said. "Where's Sam?"

"I sent her upstairs to lie down. She was understandably freaked out about what happened."

Luis nodded with a sigh as he booted up a computer. Glancing around, he found an outlet and plugged in a printer, something which Ed found interesting.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm setting it up so we can print transcripts of any calls that come in, they'll be useful when this thing goes to trial," Perez explained.

The older man just looked at his friends, "Thanks for saying 'when' and not 'if', Luis."

"Oh we'll get these asshats," Luis promised.

Ed couldn't help but chuckle at the man's choice of words. Before either men could say anymore the sound of the doorbell rung through the air. Walking over, Deline opened and quickly stepped back as people just entered his house uninvited.

"What the hell...?"

Luis quickly went out to the foyer, "Hey, guys," when he found that he wasn't getting an answer, he whistled loudly, causing everybody to stop in their places. Looking at each of them, he said, "Show some respect, okay? You don't just bombard your way into somebody's house without being invited."

The officers looked away, embarrassed at the reprimanding. Sighing, Luis turned and looked at Ed, "Ed, I apologize for this."

Deline waved his hand, "They are just in a hurry to get things started, Luis, that's it."

"Yeah," Perez agreed, looking at the group of officers assembled, he said, "Go to your stations, folks."

"What's going on?"

Ed and Luis turned and saw Sam standing in the archway of the room. Ed walked over to her and took her hand, "What are you doing up? I thought I asked you to go lie down."

"You think I can sleep at a time like this?" Marquez inquired.

Sighing deeply, Ed kissed her forehead, "No," he confessed. Upon seeing Sam's questioning face, he explained, "They are with Luis, they are setting up some stuff."

She nodded mutely and then stepped to the side when someone entered the room carrying a crate of material, "What's all that?" Walking over to it, she picked up a pamphlet and looked at the cover. Turning to look at Luis, she said, "Centers for Missing and Exploited Children?"

"There are some success stories in there," Luis said, hoping that his voice conveyed optimism.

Sam nodded as the telephone rang again. For a moment, everybody froze, looking at each other. "Answer it," Luis prompted Ed.

Keeping his azure eyes locked on Luis, Ed reached for the phone and answered it. Listening to a computerized message, he hung up and looked at Luis and Sam. "I've got email," he explained, walking over to his laptop. Going into Outlook Express, Ed punched his username and password in and checked his mail and found a message. Once he clicked on it, against his better judgment, he opened the attachment, which appeared to be a video file.

"Oh, Jesus!" Sam exclaimed, a hand covering her mouth as tears fell as they watched a video clip of Jasmine. The girl appeared to be handcuffed to a bed, her eyes covered with duct tape and a sock gagging her mouth.

Ed immediately sat down next to Sam, his hand gripping her's as he choked back tears, "Oh god."

After being subjected to the appalling video for a few minutes, it went black and the letters "We will be in touch" flashed on the screen.

Luis said a colorful array of words in his native tongue as he too witnessed the video. Taking a cautionary glance at Ed and Sam, he walked over and stood next to Sam, "We are going to get her back," he promised softly, "and I'll see that these bastards pay."

As soon as Sam opened her mouth to speak, she felt the contents of her stomach making an appearance. Jumping up quickly, she pushed past Luis, nearly knocking the man over, as she made a mad dash into the nearest room, the kitchen.

As she threw up in the sink, Ed ran in and stood behind her, holding her hair back as he gently rubbed her back. Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head and sighed, flicking the switch on the garbage disposal. Looking around, he spotted a shaken Delinda, "Get her some water, or sprite, or something."

Remaining frozen in her place, Delinda simply looked at her father, causing him to bark at her, "Now, Delinda!"

Shaken from her trance, Delinda walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, taking out a bottle of water. Unscrewing the cap, she handed it to her father wordlessly, who grabbed it a little harshly than he intended. Helping his girlfriend to her upright position, Ed led her over to the couch and sat her down, handing her the water, "Drink this, sweetie."

Sam took the offered water gratefully, drinking a good portion of it. Looking at Ed, she whispered softly, "I want to kill the bastards who have her, Ed."

"Shh," he said softly, sitting down next to her and taking her in his arms, "We are going to find her, Sam, you have to believe me."

Nodding, the woman sighed deeply as she looked up and saw Jack Keller standing in the doorway, "Oh god," she groaned.

Kissing the woman's temple, Ed rose to his feet and walked over to Keller, "I'm going to need some assistance when we get these people," he said quietly.

Jack nodded, "You'll have it. Anything I can do, Eddie, anything at all."

Nodding, Deline patted Keller on the shoulder and walked back over to Sam, leaving Jack to watch him, a guilty look on the man's face briefly making an appearance.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"Hey, how's your dad?" Mike asked as he saw Danny walking back into the surveillance room of the Montecito.

Shrugging as he sighed, McCoy sat down. "Aside from a ransacked trailer and a shiner?"

"What?" Cannon asked, thinking he heard wrong, "What's going on?"

Danny glanced around, making sure that nobody was eavesdropping. Leaning in, he said quietly, "I found out why he needed the money."

Giving his friend a look, Mike prompted, "Why?"

"He owes Roberto Menendez, it's some kind of extortion thing."

"Damn," Mike said, sitting back, "has he called the cops?"

"He won't," Danny replied, looking at the monitors, "he even lied to me, I had to get pissed at him in order to get him to level with me."

"Wow," his friend sighed. "You gonna tell Ed?"

"With everything that he's got going on right now?" The ex-Marine shot back. "Yeah," he continued, "'Ed, I know you are busy looking for your daughter who was kidnapped, but I need you to focus on me and my problems.'"

"He wouldn't see it like that," Mike said with a shake of his head.

"Whatever," Danny replied, his mood souring by the moment, "I'm not going to get Ed involved in this."

Sighing quietly Cannon turned his attention back to looking at the monitors.

Delinda walked outside to the back deck and found him sitting on a chaise lounge. Sighing softly, she walked over and sat down next to him and put a hand on his back.

"It's been eight hours," he said quietly. "Eight hours and we are no where closer to finding where she is than we were when we first started."

"Luis," she said softly, "you guys are going to find her."

"How?" He asked, turning to look at her, "Delinda, how can you be so sure about that? I'm not even sure about it."

"Because I know my dad wouldn't have you here if he didn't think that you wouldn't find her." Delinda stated. "Daddy wouldn't even be wasting time with having you involved, Luis."

Perez shook his head, frustration evident in his voice, "I just feel like I'm failing here, Delinda. I feel like I'm failing Ed, Sam, you... but most of all I feel like I'm failing that little girl. Ed is probably better off getting the CIA involved or something."

"Don't say that," the woman reprimanded softly, "the truth is, Dad probably does have some of his friends on this, but he also wants you on it. Nobody thinks you are Robocop or something, Luis. Everybody knows that you and your guys are doing everything you can to get Jasmine back."

"Sam," he said quietly, closing his eyes as he sighed deeply, "Sam looked like she had been kicked in the teeth when she saw that video."

Delinda closed her eyes as she remembered, nodding quietly, "Yeah," she agreed, "I think we all felt that way." Looking at her friend, she rubbed his shoulder gently, "Hey," she said, getting his attention, "I believe in you, okay? I have faith that you'll help us get her back. Pretty soon these idiots are going to get careless and they'll start leaving clues."

Luis gave her a soft smile and then hugged her tightly, "I think we have this the wrong way, Delinda, I think that I'm the one whose supposed to be comforting you and trying to get you to keep your sanity."

She laughed quietly as she shrugged, pulling back, "Everybody can use a friend."

Nodding, the man leaned in and kissed her cheek, "And you are a good one to have around." He sighed as he stood up, "I'm going to go back in and make some calls. You coming?"

Delinda shook her head no, "I'll be in in a bit, I want to stay out here."

Luis nodded as he walked back inside. Once she was alone, Delinda looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. Whispering softly, she said, "Please help us, mom. Make sure that little girl is okay and make sure that Dad and Sam don't go nuts, please."

After the phone call, Karla and Ritchie made their way to the abandoned apartment building they were supposed to meet Tam. Upon entering, they found a note from Jonathan stating that he'd be there later that night. Needing food to get them through the night, Marin sent Ritchie to the market while she put a very reluctant Jasmine into a room that had an old cot in it. After Phillips left, Karla felt a feeling of guilt and looked out a window and spotted a small grocery store across the street. Running over there, she bought a container of yogurt and went back to the building.

"Eat this," Karla demanded as she sat down on the dirty cot on which a handcuffed Jasmine lay.

"What is it?" The little girl asked softly.

"Food," the woman answered, stirring the warm yogurt in the container, "do you want it or not?"

Jasmine nodded as she opened her mouth to receive a spoonful of it. As Karla looked at her, she felt a twinge of guilt, seeing the girl's eyes taped shut with duct tape, her wrists handcuffed to the headboard and chains with shackles attached to her ankles. Sighing deeply, the woman shoved the spoon into the girl's mouth and fed her the yogurt, her eyes spotting the bruises and cuts on the girl's face and neck.

Without realizing how quickly she was feeding Jasmine, Karla was shaken out of her reverie by the sounds of the girl gagging and soon she threw up everything that was in her stomach. "You little bitch!" Karla spat as she quickly stood up, vomit in her lap. Enraged, the woman's eyes bored down on the child and with no further thought, her hand sliced through the air, landing sharply on the girl's face. The sounds of the child's screams piercing through the air as she slapped her a few more times.

Storming out of the room, she cursed repeatedly under her breath as she went out into the kitchen of the condemned house in which they were staying. Sighing, she grabbed a rag and held it under the running water of a faucet in the sink. Just as she got the rag damp, the phone rang.

Throwing the rag into the sink, she walked over and picked the phone up, "Treasure Chest."

"It's me," a soft, gravelly voice said.

"Hey," she said, her voice softening as she smiled. "Where are you?"

"At the place," he answered, "what's with 'Treasure Chest'?"

Karla rolled her eyes as she sat down on a chair, "Stefan said to answer the phone that way so it would sound like this is a business or something. Yet another one of his brilliant ideas." The woman congratulated her ability not to use Jonathan's name on the phone. During the planning stages of the kidnapping, everybody involved agreed to use different names when referring to each other on the phone.

The man chuckled softly as he ran a hand through his hair, "He and Xander giving you any problems?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," she remarked, "Xander's being an absolute idiot, thinking he's Mr. Big Shit, meanwhile, Stefan has been a no-show."

"Stefan's not there?" The man asked, his voice conveying surprise, "Where is he?"

"Who knows?"

The man sighed deeply, "Okay, I need to get off of this in case somebody sees me, I'll call you later tonight, okay?"

Karla nodded. Breaking the rule just this once, she said, "Jack, I love you."

Jack Keller smiled softly, "You broke the rule, Celeste."

"I know," she said, "but I wanted to tell you. I wanted you to know."

"I love you too, honey, I'll call you later."

The next sound that Karla heard was the dial tone.

Jack quickly stuffed the cell phone in his pocket and walked back into the living room where Ed and Sam sat. Looking at his friend and former partner, the man strode in and sat down on the couch.

"Who were you talking to?" Deline inquired, an eye brow cocked.

"I was checking my voice mail," Keller lied.

Nodding, Ed said, in a quiet voice, "I'm glad that you thought to do that, because your voice mail is much more important than the task at hand."

Sam sighed deeply, "Ed, please, the last thing I want is for the two of you to get into a fight. I just don't think that I can handle that right now."

"I'm sorry," he sighed, hugging her. Casting a look at Jack, he said, "I apologize. You are helping us out here and I should be more appreciative. I apologize."

Keller waved his hand, "No harm done, Eddie. Listen, I need to get out of here for a few minutes so I'm going to go get everybody something for dinner. Any requests?"

Jack's question was met with Ed and Sam shaking their heads mutely. "Okay," he sighed, "I'll be back later." That said, Keller grabbed his keys and walked out of the house, not looking back.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

"It's been ten hours," Sam announced quietly, "she's probably exhausted, hungry, and scared."

Ed sighed quietly as he stood up and walked up behind her, his hands running up and down her arms, "Sam," he whispered, "come sit down, sweetie."

The woman shook her head as she kept her eyes fixed on the photo of her daughter that was on the mantle. "I can't sit down, Ed, if I sit down than I'll just go over everything in my head."

"Honey," he said, turning her around to face him, "You need some rest."

"So do you," she pointed out. "I'll sleep when you sleep, Ed."

Ed sighed deeply as he rested his hands on her shoulders, "Come on," he said, taking her hand.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked.

"To sleep," he answered, "I want you to get some rest, you are refusing to do so unless I do it too and so I'm going to go lie down with you and hopefully both of us will get what we want."

She nodded as her hand tightened around his and together they walked upstairs.

"Alright, that's it."

Mike watched as Danny rose to his feet, "Where are you going?"

"To Ed's house. Nobody's heard from him, Sam, or Delinda all day and I can't even get in touch with Nessa."

The African American man watched his friend as he collected his things, "Hold up," he said, standing up, "I'm going with you." Mike looked around at the guys assembled in the room, "Hey, Danny and I need to check on something, if you need us, get us on our phones." Once the guys nodded in comprehension the two men walked out of the surveillance area and out into the main area of the hotel.

"I just hope that things are okay and Ed just needed to get away for a few hours." Danny said to his friend.

"Yeah, but if that were the case, where would Delinda and Sam be?" The other man wondered.

"Good question."

The men walked out into the employee parking garage and got into Danny's black and yellow Camaro and soon they were off to the home of Ed Deline.

Jack Keller pulled over on the side of the road. He had been driving for hours and was half way to Barstow. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand over his face and looked out the window. "Why the hell am I doing this?" He asked himself. "Ed's a good guy, a good friend... he doesn't deserve this."

Sighing again, Keller thought back to a different time, a different place, and a very different Ed Deline.

__

Langley, Virginia : 1992-

Jack Keller walked into the headquarters for the Central Intelligence Agency. He listened to the sounds of his dress shoes echo through the tiled hallways and then immediately soften as he stepped onto some low pile carpet.

Running a hand over his face in sheer exhaustion, he was hoping to catch a few days to recover after just returning back from Colombia with his partner, Ed Deline. Both he and Deline managed to bust a long time drug distributor, Manuel Garcia.

Done in an unorthodox way, mostly attributed to Jack's unwillingness to abide by the books, they managed to take down Garcia and his crew. Jack knew it was only a matter of time when he would be hauled into the office of Nathan Bettina, the current head of the CIA.

"Keller."

Jack stopped in his tracks and turned and looked behind him to see who said his name. Seeing one of the women that they work with quickly approaching him, he took a few steps back so she could catch up. Smiling at her, he said, "Hey, Renee, what's going on?"

"Your ass is being hand delivered on a platter," she responded.

Jack glanced at his watch, "Wow, and it's only seven, that must be a new record."

The woman looked at her coworker, "Jack, this is serious."

Keller rolled his eyes, "Bettina is already on the war path?"

"Yeah, but it's a lot different now," Agent Renee Waverly responded.

"Different how?"

"Jack," she sighed.

"Hey," Jack said softly, his eyes focused on her, "Different how?"

"Deline is in there. He's telling Bettina that you are basically a loose cannon, that you have no business being a security guard, much less an agent."

Keller looked at her as he felt his stomach beginning to rumble, "No," he said, not wanting to believe it, "Eddie wouldn't hang me out like that."

"I'm telling you, you need to get in there," Agent Waverly instructed, "Bettina's pissed and so is Deline."

Jack sighed as he nodded, "Yeah, okay, I'll head over there now, thanks for the tip."

The female agent nodded as she watched her co-worker head for Bettina's office. Once he got there, he noticed Bettina's secretary, Margaret, working busily at her desk. "Hey, Maggie, can I go in there?"

The middle aged redheaded woman looked up at him with weary emerald eyes. "I'm not responsible if you come out in a body bag, Agent Keller."

Jack rolled his eyes, "I don't intend on that happening. I know what's going on in there and I know who is in there, I want to go in and save my ass if I can."

Margaret's eyes traveled up and down the length of Jack's body, "Alright," she conceded, "but don't come screaming to me when you turn into the headless agent."

"Your compassion is overwhelming," he remarked as he walked into the office.

As soon as he entered, the talking stopped and Ed Deline and Nathan Bettina looked at Keller. "This is a private meeting, Agent Keller," Bettina snapped.

Jack sighed as he rolled his eyes, "Well, seeing as how you are holed up here with my partner discussing, what I presume to be, was the case we just got back from," he paused to glance at his watch, "a mere sixteen hours ago, I'd have to disagree with you on that, Nate, and say that it isn't a private meeting." Jack paused as he looked at Bettina and then Ed. His eyes traveling back to his boss, Keller sat down on the couch and rested his left leg on his right knee. "So come on, let me have it," he invited. His gaze turning back to his partner, Jack continued, "You got pissed at me down there and instead of saying something to me about it, like a man, you go crying to our employer."

"First of all," Ed said quietly, "I don't go crying to my employer. Secondly, I don't have a lot to say to a guy who nearly gets me killed."

"Nearly gets you killed?" Keller repeated with a hearty laugh, "Oh, Eddie, come on! It wasn't nearly as bad as you are making it out to be!"

"Take a good look at Agent Deline, Jack," Nathan Bettina instructed. "Look at the cane he's having to use, get a glance of his right foot that is casted because of a bullet he took when you antagonized Garcia's clan."

"Hold up," Jack said, rising to his feet. Quickly looking at his partner, Agent Keller turned his attention back to his boss, "I didn't say or do zip shit to Garcia's clan to provoke the attack on Ed."

"You threatened to run away with his seventeen year old daughter!" Ed fired back.

"It was a language barrier, Ed!" Jack yelled.

"Language barrier my ass!" Deline made his way over to Jack and looked at him, "You are a mess, you are so damn unpredictable, you are like a friggen loose cannon. This is the second time I've been shot at because of your mouth, only this time I wasn't quick enough to dodge the bullet!" Ed shook his head as he looked at Nathan Bettina, "I want a change of partner."

"Eddie, come on," Jack pleaded softly, "we can work this out, okay? You and me, we've got a lot of history together."

"Jack, I'm fifty years old," Ed sighed, "I got five more years left before I can retire. I want to be able to actually live those five years and more. I want to see my wife and watch my daughter. Delinda's fifteen years old," he paused, "she's still got a lot of growing up to do and I want to watch her do it. I want to teach her to drive, teach her to dance, and I can't get up in the morning and go on an assignment with you and be confident that I'll be able to do those things."

Agent Keller sighed as he looked away, "I'll do better, I promise."

"Said the child to the parent," Bettina remarked quietly, causing an icy glare to be shot his way by Jack. Ignoring the look, Nathan looked at his out of control employee, "I'm sorry, Jack, but this is the straw that broke the camel's back. We appreciate the work you've done for us, but you've been relieved of your duties."

Jack looked at his employer, stunned, "Y-you're firing me? I didn't think that that was possible... to be fired in the CIA."

"Oh it's possible," Bettina assured him, "rare, but possible. You'll need to relinquish your weapons and badges before you leave headquarters. As for your final paycheck, we'll see that it is sent to your apartment."

Jack looked at Bettina and then at Ed. Feeling the anger rise in him, he bit his tongue as he silently vowed to repay his partner.

Three years after being fired from the Central Intelligence Agency, Jack Keller learned from a friend of a friend that Ed Deline put in for early retirement and moved his young family to an undisclosed location. It took Jack eight years to track down his former partner in, of all places, Las Vegas, Nevada.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Delinda walked back inside her father's house and stopped when she saw him looking out the window, his eyes distant. "Daddy?" She said softly as she walked up behind him.

"I was just thinking," he said softly, "about your mother."

The woman nodded quietly, "I know," she said, "I was outside thinking about her too." Sighing deeply, Delinda walked over and hugged her father, "We are going to find her, Daddy. Luis has all of his top men on it."

Ed hugged his daughter back as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Fearing his emotions would betray him, he gently pushed her away from him as he walked into his den and closed the door behind him.

Watching her father wordlessly, the woman sighed as she felt tears fall down her face. Sighing, she ran a shaky hand through her hair and turned to walk into the living room, stopping when she saw Sam standing in the doorway.

"I can't reach him," she said quietly.

Delinda regarded the woman quietly, "Nobody can," she told her friend, "There was only one person who could reach him when he got like this."

"Delinda," Sam said as she crossed the room and looked at her, "I need to know what your mom did. I need to know her secrets."

The other woman simply looked at her, her voice was flat, "You want me to tell you what my mother did in order to get through to my father," she said. Shaking her head, she said, "Why?"

"I need to know," Marquez stated simply.

Shaking her head, Delinda said, "No, Sam. If my father has closed the door to his heart, you have to find a way to get the keys yourself. What my parents shared can't be duplicated. Just because my mother is dead doesn't mean that you can automatically assume the place in his heart."

Sam watched as she headed out of the room, "Delinda, please, I'm asking for your help."

Clenching her hands into fists at her side, Delinda turned around and looked at her, "You have the keys to his house, Sam, it's up to you to get the keys to his heart. I'm not going to help you, I'm sorry."

"Don't you want him to be happy?"

"With you?" She shook her head, "No." Upon the look on Sam's face, the woman continued, "My father doesn't need the added stress in his life, Sam, I'm sorry. I want him to be happy, of course I do. I love him, he's my father. He's the last link that I have in this world, but, he doesn't need this. He doesn't need to worry about a child, and he doesn't need you." Casting a look at her, the woman walked out of the room, leaving Sam alone with her thoughts.

Jack turned the key in the ignition and pulled back out on the road, feeling a sense of renewal. Amplified by his vivid memories of days gone by, Keller drove, his foot pressing the gas pedal to the hilt, to the nearest fast food place he came to and then he drove home.

Parking his car by the curb, Jack took the keys out and dropped them in his pocket and grabbed the bags of food and got out. Once he got inside, he was jolted at the stillness which met him. Seeing Luis Perez walk into the foyer, Jack looked at him, "Where is everybody?"

Detective Perez ran a hand through his thick hair, "Ed's holed up in his office, Delinda is in the kitchen having some tea and Sam is floating around here somewhere."

Blinking in surprise, Jack glanced over Luis' shoulder and looked into the dining room where Perez's team was sprawled out on the dining room table, "Anything?"

Shaking his head sadly, Luis sighed, "No."

Jack nodded as he gripped the man's shoulder and headed towards Ed's home office. Knocking on the door, Keller gripped the doorknob and turned it and walked inside and looked at his friend, "I got some burgers and fries out there, Eddie, if you want something."

Ed shook his head mutely as he gently swirled the glass of scotch he had in his hand. Watching the movements of his friend, Keller tried to lighten things up a bit, "You swirl wine, Ed, not scotch."

Turning to glare at his former partner, Ed asked, "What do you want?"

"To help," Jack said, as he walked further into the room. "I want to make sure that you guys get what you deserve."

"Which is?" Deline questioned.

Shrugging a shoulder, Keller answered, "Peace of mind."

Ed sighed as he turned his back and looked back out the window. "Just when I think I get my life back on track," he started, "some asshole sticks his foot out and trips me."

"Ed," Jack said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "When was the last time you ate something? Come on, man, have a burger, I even got some onion rings. You and Sam, you guys need to eat. There's plenty of food for Luis' guys too."

"I wonder what they are doing to her," Ed said blankly. "I wonder if they've smacked her around yet... they've probably screamed at her by now... I wonder if they've..." he stopped abruptly.

"Don't say it," his friend warned.

"Why not?" Ed snapped as he began to pace the room like a caged animal, "I'm sure as hell thinking it."

"Well don't," Keller said, watching him. "Ed, you gotta think positive."

"Positive?" Deline stopped walking and looked at him, "What the hell is positive about this?"

"She isn't dead." Jack said.

Enraged at the possibility, Ed threw the glass against the wall, "Fuck you!" he screamed at Keller and began to pace some more. "You have no damn idea what I'm going through, Jack, not one clue."

"I never said that I did, Ed." The other man said.

Sighing deeply, Deline leaned against the wall, his back turned to his friend. As he was about to speak, the phone rang. Seconds after the first ring, Luis Perez busted into Ed's office. "Ed," he said, "come on. It could be them."

Sprinting out of the office behind the detective, Ed raced into the dining room, half surprised to find Sam and Delinda already there. Luis stood next to Ed, "Listen for anything and everything, cars... trains... airplanes... see if you can find out if they are in a neighborhood," he quickly looked at one of the officers, "Do you have the tap set up yet?"

"Almost," the young officer said as he quickly finished up.

"Get her back, Ed," Luis said, "get her back, that's all that matters."

"We're ready!"

"Get her back," Luis whispered as he handed the phone to Ed.

Taking a deep breath, Ed pushed the button to turn the phone on, "Yeah?"

"Mr. Deline."

Sam flinched at the gravelly voice, which was obviously being disguised, that filtered through the room.

"What is it?"

"Are you ready to meet our demands?" The voice asked.

As Ed spoke on the phone, Jack Keller slowly made his way in and watched, immediately knowing who was on the phone.

"What do you want?" Ed demanded.

"How is the linguist doing with my accent?" The voice asked, "Luis Perez standing right there?"

"Hey, what do you think I am?" Deline asked, "An idiot? There's nobody here."

"Alright," the voice said, "Here's what we want. We want three million dollars in small, unmarked bills. You are to take the money to the Pharaoh's Feast at the Luxor. Once you get inside, there is a gold trash receptacle which will have a duffel bag stuffed in it. Take the bag and leave. Leave the hotel through the service exit and then you'll spot a 1972 midnight blue Impala with a broken headlight. Keys will be inside the bag. Use the car and drive to the Durango Hills Community Center. Go inside the community center and go to the mens' showers and you'll hear a cell phone ringing in one of the lockers. You have sixty minutes."

"Okay," Ed said, "I just need you to repeat everything so I can be sure."

"Sixty minutes." The voice said.

"To do what?" Deline asked, panicked, "To get to the bank and get the money, to get to the community center?"

Deline's questions were unheard and he was met with the sound of a dial tone. Slamming his hand down in frustration, he said, "Shit!" Standing up, he quickly ran a hand through his hair.

"Be quick," Luis instructed.

"I know," Ed said. Looking around, he didn't spot Sam, "Tell her I've gone to do this and I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Don't worry," Perez assured him, "I'll make sure she finds out, just go."

Grabbing his car keys, Deline dashed out of the house.

Ritchie Phillips dropped the phone on the table. "It's done," he said to Karla who nodded.

"Good," she said. "I would love to see the look on Ed's face right now."

Laughing, Phillips nodded his head in agreement as the two headed out to the car, leaving Jasmine by herself.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Ed drove down the driveway of his home and headed into Vegas. As his cherry red Hummer faded into the distance, Sam walked out into the foyer and looked around, "Where's Ed?"

Luis turned and walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, "He got a call from the kidnappers, he's went to go do what they told him to do."

Sam felt the panic begin to well up inside her, "What did they tell him to do, Luis?"

Sighing, Perez led her over and sat her down on a bench, "He's got to withdraw some money and take it to the Luxor, there were a few other instructions as well."

Looking at the man, her face blanched, "How much money?"

"Three million dollars."

"Oh god," Sam bent over at the waist, holding her stomach, as she rocked back and forth, whispering softly, "This is going to bankrupt him."

"I don't think that matters to him, Sam," Luis said, "All he wants to do is get Jasmine back here, safe and sound."

Sam Marquez slowly rose to her feet, "I need... I need some air..."

The detective looked at his friend in concern, "Sam," he said as he slowly rose to his feet as well. As soon as she took a step, Sam collapsed. "Sam!" Luis ran over and caught her in his arms and picked her up. Looking around frantically, he shouted, "Danny! Delinda! Somebody!"

Delinda raced into the foyer and saw Sam, "Oh god," Running over to her friend, she looked at Luis, "Take her upstairs to my dad's room. Come on, I'll show you where it is." Delinda quickly went upstairs and glanced over her shoulder, casting a worried look at her friend, as she led Perez to her father's bedroom. Once they were inside, Luis gently laid Sam down on the bed and looked at her, sighing deeply. "When was the last time she ate?"

Delinda shook her head, "I don't know," she said honestly, "I don't think she's eaten since this whole thing began, and I don't think my dad has either for that matter."

Running a hand through his dark hair, Perez said, "They both are probably getting malnourished. They have got to eat something."

The blonde woman looked at him pointedly, "You want to be the one to poke food down their throats?"

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Luis said, glancing around. He walked over to the large windows and drew the curtains. "You need to get her clothes off her and sponge her down with a luke warm cloth. She felt very hot when I was carrying her up here, she may have a low grade fever. Not too hot or else it will just raise her body temperature, and not too cold, that'll put her in shock."

Delinda watched him carefully and nodded, "What about my father?"

"I'll get Danny and Nessa to talk him into taking a breather when he gets back."

Standing up, she walked over to him, "Back from where?"

Perez sighed quietly and looked at her, "The kidnappers contacted him. They want him to take some money to the Luxor and transfer it to a bag, then drive to Durango Hills and jump through a few hoops there too."

"Oh god," Delinda said as she put a hand to her forehead, "When will this nightmare come to an end?"

Ed pressed his foot down further on the gas pedal. Well aware that he was speeding and breaking a lot of traffic laws, he didn't care. The only thing on his mind was getting to the Luxor. After the debacle at the bank, he knew that he had wasted far too much time and it was coming down to the wire.

Pulling into the Egyptian resort, he parked his car crookedly in a parking spot and grabbed the suitcase of cash and bolted out of the Hummer. Racing inside, Ed casually, but quickly, walked over to the Pharaoh's Feast and looked around. Spotting the trash can, he walked over and sure enough, a hunter green vinyl duffel bag had been stuffed into it. Extracting the bag, he went into the mens' room. Once he was sure he was alone, Deline locked the door and quickly transferred all $3 million into the bag and just threw the case onto the floor and exited the bathroom and made his way back outside.

Glancing around, he sprinted over to his car and got in and started it back up and headed towards Durango Hills, determined to get this hellish nightmare over and behind all of them as soon as possible.

Hearing the sounds of tires squeal out of the driveway, Jasmine slowly walked towards the door of the room she was being kept in. Reaching out, the little girl's hand closed around the door knob and she slowly turned it, gasping softly in surprise when she found the door to be unlocked.

Once the door was open, the little girl walked out into the hallway and looked up it and then down it, not hearing or seeing anything. Turning left, she started to walk to the main area of the house and raced towards the front door. Quickly opening it, she began to run hard, not knowing where she was going, but anxious to get away and get someplace safe.

As soon as she got to the end of the driveway, Jasmine gasped when she saw the car stop, recognizing the man driving it. "Please," she said as she ran over to it, "take me back to my mommy and daddy."

Jack Keller growled when he saw her, "How in the hell did you get out?"

Jasmine blinked in confusion, tears starting to fall, "Please, Mr. Jack, you'll help me, right?"

"Oh I'll help you," Jack promised as he got out of the car. Grabbing the girl by the scruff of her neck, he forcefully lead her back into the house, "You little bitch," he spat at her venomously, "you think you can run away? Maybe you need to be taught a lesson or two."

Slamming the front door of the house, Jack threw the girl onto the ground and stared at her, "If Ed and Sam won't teach you what you need to know," he said as he began to undo his belt, "Perhaps it is up to me to do it."

Jasmine cowered in fear as she watched him approach her.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Ed reached down for his ringing cell phone, "Yeah."

"Why aren't you in the Impala?"

Closing his eyes, Deline cursed himself. "Oh god," he said with a sigh, "Look, I'm sorry, man, I've never done this kind of thing before, so I'm nervous."

Ritchie Phillips pounded against the steering wheel as he tailed Ed. "Don't fuck with me, Deline!"

"I'm not!" Ed cried, "I swear to god, I'm not. I just want my daughter back, that's it."

"Children pay for the mistakes of their parents, Ed," Phillips said cryptically.

"Please, I'm begging you man," he said as he drove, "I'm like a chicken with my head cut off here. I'm trying to jump through all of your goddamned hoops, don't take my stupidity out on my kid, alright, please? She's a sweet girl and she's been through enough. I just want to get her back."

Ritchie sighed as he watched Ed, "Get onto the 159 and head west till you hit Charleston. Once you get to Charleston, find your way to Red Rock Canyon. Once you get to the Red Rock, head towards the Wilson Cliffs and somebody will meet you there."

"Who?" Ed asked as he quickly headed towards the freeway, "How will I know them?"

"They will find you," Phillips said.

Deline closed his eyes, "This is a set up isn't it? You are sending me out there to be killed, you have no intention of bringing me my daughter."

"You don't know shit, just be there."

"No," Ed said, as he pulled over. "I'm done driving till you tell me what the hell is going on."

Phillips continued to drive, noting the red Hummer on the side of the road with Ed in the driver's seat. As he drove, he kept one eye on the rear view mirror and one eye on the road. "Do you have any idea how stupid you are being?"

"I'm being stupid?" Ed countered back, "You assholes are the one who kidnapped the kid of a former CIA agent. You have any idea the world of shit I can bring unto you?"

Chuckling quietly, Ritchie shook his head, "Oh, Ed, it wouldn't be a day if you didn't issue your standard threats. Has anybody ever told you that that tough guy washed up Mafia act you play is getting old?"

Deline smirked, "Yeah, but I figure if it was good enough for Brando..."

The other man continued to drive in silence for a few minutes.

"I want my daughter," Ed said quietly, "I'll do whatever it takes to get her back."

"Would you lay your life down for her?" Phillips asked, curiously.

"Yes," he whispered.

Locking the door behind him, Keller stalked down the hallway, the sounds of Jasmine's screams filling the air. Shaking his head, he looked up as Karla walked in. Hearing the girl's screaming, she looked at him curiously, "What's going on?"

"She tried to escape," Keller said as he sighed, flopping down into a chair, "so I had to teach her a few lessons."

"Oh god, Jack," Marin sighed as she looked at him.

"Don't worry," Jack said, "I didn't do any lasting damage. Just spanked her ass, she's been with Ed and Sam so long she's developed the smart assed bitch attitude that Sam Marquez is famous for."

"Well there's a huge shocker," she remarked dryly as she sat down next to him.

Chuckling quietly, Keller wrapped an arm around her and looked at her, softly, "You realize that once Ed finds out that I'm the mastermind behind this than he'll probably kill me, right?"

Karla nodded as she drew a breath, "Yeah," she said softly. "Don't worry, Ritchie and I have already made provisions."

Smiling softly, he kissed her temple and just nodded.

"Eat this."

Delinda looked up at Luis Perez and then her aqua eyes trailed down to the offered cheeseburger. "I don't eat red meat."

Sighing, the detective shook his head as he sat down, "You haven't eaten period, Delinda. Just this once, I want you to eat this, please."

The woman sighed quietly as she took the cheeseburger and took a bite. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Luis reached over and ran a hand down the back of her head, "When all of this is said and done," he said quietly, "and we have Jasmine back here, I'm going to take you to Mexico."

Blinking in surprise, she looked at him, "Mexico? Why?"

"You need a break," he said, "and so do I. Plus, I want to get to know Delinda Deline when she's not in Vegas."

Delinda smiled softly as she nodded. Scooting over towards him, she hugged him, "I'm going to hold you to that."

Sam let out a small whimper as she stirred in bed. Rising to his feet, Danny walked over and sat down on the corner of the bed that his friend was sleeping on. Feeling the bed shift, the woman opened her eyes and looked around, whispering softly, "Danny? What happened?"

"You collapsed," he said softly as he reached for the wash rag and got it wet. Squeezing the access water out, he applied it to the woman's forehead, "Plus, you had a low grade fever. Luis ordered that you be put up here so you could get some sleep. Are you hungry?"

"No," she replied, sitting up. Catching the falling rag in her hand, she dropped it in the bowl of water. "I need to call Ed."

Danny shook his head, "Let Ed do this his way, Sam. If you call him, he could become distracted. Right now his mind is where it needs to be."

"Danny, my daughter has been kidnapped. Ed's practically draining his bank account to get her back."

"He's doing it because he loves you," Danny pointed out.

"Yeah, well, according to Delinda, I'm just your average gold digging tramp."

The former Marine sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "It's hard for her to see him with someone who isn't her mother, Sam. Believe me, when my mom died and I saw my father with another woman, I reacted the same way she did. Ed loves you, anybody with eyes can see that. Plus, he's fallen head over heels for Jasmine."

Smiling quietly, the woman nodded as she hugged her friend, "Thanks for staying with me, Danny. I really appreciate it."

Shrugging her gratitude off, McCoy kissed her cheek and stood up, "Come on," he said, "somebody brought some food. Rumor has it that Jack brought back some burgers."

The woman nodded as she sighed, "Yeah, okay,"

Standing up, Sam smiled softly when she saw Danny extending his hand to her. Grasping it, the two walked out of the room.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

"You on the move again, Ed?"

There had been little to no communication between both men for a little over twenty minutes, but Ritchie Phillips knew precisely where Ed was.

"I want to know if she's okay."

"You'll know soon enough," Phillips promised.

Deline sighed deeply as he turned the key in the ignition, starting up the car. "Where do you want me to go again?"

"Winston Cliffs."

Ed pulled out onto the freeway and began to drive, "It'll be an exchange, right? I'll give you the money and you'll give me my daughter?"

Ritchie Phillips chuckled cryptically, "Sure, Ed."

Delinda looked up at the sound of Danny and Sam walking into the living room. Rising to her feet, the woman walked over to the other woman and looked at her. "Sam, I'm sorry. I had no right to go off on you like I did."

Sam Marquez simply looked at the woman before nodding mutely. "Yeah," she said softly, "okay." Making her way towards the couch, she asked to nobody in particular, "Has Ed called?"

Luis shook his head grimly, "No, we haven't heard from him."

As Sam opened her mouth to say something, the doorbell rang. Noticing nobody going over to answer it, Danny walked over and opened the door and smiled, "Hey."

Mary Connell smiled as she stepped forward and hugged her friend, "Hey," Pulling back, she looked at him, "How are Ed and Sam?"

"A wreck," he answered softly, "Ed got a phone call from the kidnappers and left about two hours ago and Sam's already collapsed once."

"Oh god," the woman said as she sighed. Glancing into the room, the redheaded woman spotted Delinda and Luis, "And Delinda? Is she okay?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully, "apparently she and Sam had a spat, but nobody's said a word about it. Quite frankly, I'm worried about all of them, Mare, Ed included."

Mary chewed her bottom lip and nodded, "I know, Danny, me too." Giving her friend a soft smile, she gently squeezed his forearm and walked in. Approaching Sam from the side, she put her hand on the woman's shoulder, "Sam."

The brunette closed her eyes as a tear fell, "Oh god, Mary," Quickly rising to her feet, she pulled her friend into a hug.

Embracing the other woman, Mary ran her hand down the back of Sam's head soothingly, "Hey," she said quietly. Pulling back, she looked the other woman in the eye, "We are going to get her back okay? Believe me, if there's anybody on this planet who can get her back, it's Ed."

Sam nodded and sighed deeply as she began to pace the room. "God, I'd give anything just to hear her voice again, to tell her I love her."

"You will," Danny said quietly, "You need to try and remain strong, Sam. I know its hard, but you gotta."

The woman remained silent as she looked out the window, a small piece of her dying.

Ed pulled into the gravelly lot of Winston Cliffs. Sighing, he cut the engine of his car and reached for the duffel bag. Cautiously, the former CIA agent opened the door and got out and looked around, keeping the bag close to his chest. His vivid aqua eyes missing nothing, Deline scanned his surroundings for any sign of activity.

The sound of a motorcycle squealing towards him, caused the sixty-something man to turn around abruptly. Jumping out of the way, Ed watched as the figure approached him.

"Give me the money!"

Deline rose his voice so he could be heard above the bike's engine, "Where's my daughter? You brought her with you, right?"

The other man, clad in all black with a black ski mask, looked at Ed before violently shoving him back. Grabbing the bag of money quickly, he sped off, leaving Ed in the wake of his dust.

"Sonofabitch!" Ed quickly ran to his car and turned it on. His wheels spinning in the gravel, he made a brisk descent towards where he thought the motorcycle headed. Pressing his foot down hard on the gas pedal, Ed drove till he saw thick brush quickly heading his way. Slamming his foot on the brake, he got out and ran blindly in the woods towards the mountains, only to find that the deeper he ran, the more lost he was getting.

Falling to his knees, he let out an anguished cry as he stumbled forward. Resting his hands and knees on the earth, he remained still for a few moments before forcing himself to his feet. Carefully, the former CIA agent made his way through the woods back to where his car was. Spotting the familiar sight of his sport utility vehicle, Ed stumbled towards it and opened the door. Resting for a few minutes, he felt beads of sweat drizzle down the sides of his face. Stepping up, he got in and reached for the phone and with a shaking hand, he dialed a number, "Luis, it's me." Sighing deeply, he rested his head on the steering wheel of the car, "Yeah, I lost the money."

Luis Perez held his cell phone to his ear, "What do you mean you lost the money, Ed? What happened?"

At the sound of her lover's name, Sam's head whipped up, "Ed?" Jumping up to her feet, she ran towards the detective, "I want to talk to him."

Holding his finger up to silence her, Luis walked into another room, "What happened?"

Deline shook his head as he sat up and started the car. Putting the vehicle in reverse, he turned and looked over his shoulder and backed up, "I drove to Winston Cliffs, which is where he told me to go. I had the money. I got here and I waited and this asshole on a motorcycle demanded the money. The other asshole--the one on the phone--promised me a trade, the money for Jasmine."

"And he didn't follow through," Perez guessed accurately as he sighed. "Ed, you should have contacted me immediately."

Ed banged his hand against the steering wheel, "I'm not an expert at this, Luis, I'm trying to get my kid back!"

"Alright, alright," he sighed, "come back to the house, we'll figure something out."

Without so much as a goodbye, Ed hung up and sped back towards the house.

Jonathan Tam pulled off in the woods and grabbed the flashlight, which was clipped to his belt. Turning it on, he unzipped the duffel bag and looked at the money inside, grinning, knowing that he held the trump card in his hands.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Ed pulled into the driveway of his home and cut the engine. Sighing deeply, he remained seated in the car, watching the Spanish styled home that he shared with his wife... a home he was still having a hard time giving up. Seeing the massive wrought iron and distressed oak door open, he spotted a figure running out of the house, coming towards him.

Seeing the dark haired woman approach him, Deline opened the door and got out of the car and stepped forward and took her in his arms. Encircling his arms around the sobbing woman tightly, he sighed once more, his calloused hand scraping down the back of her dark hair.

"I am so sorry, Samantha Jane," he whispered.

The raven haired woman shook her head as she pulled back, wiping a tear with her sleeve, "I'm just grateful you are okay, Ed."

"Come on," the man said, taking her hand, "let's go back inside."

Sam sighed deeply as she went in with him.

"Goddamnit!"

Jack Keller roared through the house like a tornado, kicking over boxes and tables in his path. "What the fuck was Tam thinking?" He demanded.

"Jack," Karla said quietly, "Please, calm down." Walking up behind him, she put her hands on the backs of his shoulders, "Please, baby, I don't want your blood pressure to flair up."

"Flair up?" Keller said as he whipped around, facing the woman, "It's through the roof right now, Karla! That fucking bastard came out of nowhere!"

"I know, I know," she said, "but we need to think positively, okay? Jonathan wants to see Sam suffer just as you want to see Ed suffer, he's going to contact you."

Stepping forward, Jack looked at the woman, "He better," he whispered, "or else somebody will pay."

Turning on his heel, Jack made his way back to the dingy room that Jasmine was being held in. Her face blanching, Karla ran after him, "Jack, don't take this out on the girl, she did nothing wrong, she's scared."

Quickly turning around, Jack's hand whipped across her face angrily, "Do not ever attempt to tell me what to do again, Karla, or I will see to it that your skanky ass is back in prison where it belongs."

Stunned that he hit her, Marin's hand went up to her throbbing cheek. Feeling the warmth and the impending bruise, she whispered softly, "Please don't do this, Jack."

"Get this place cleaned up," Keller ordered as he went into the room.

Delinda watched in silence as her father walked back inside the house. Tearing herself away from Luis' protective arm, she approached him, "Daddy," she whispered softly.

Ed lifted his eyes up to his daughter and opened his arms as the woman went to him, crying. "Oh god, Dad, I am so sorry."

Shaking his head, he planted a kiss on the crown of her head, "Nobody blames you, Delinda."

"I should have got there earlier, if I had just told Gunther I'd talk to him later, than she'd be here,"

"No," he said quietly and pushed her back to look at her, "You didn't do this. I don't blame you for this, Sam doesn't blame you for this, nobody blames you Delinda."

"I blame myself," she whispered as she wiped her tears.

Deline sighed as he pulled his daughter back to him and hugged her.

Watching Ed with his daughter, Luis Perez walked up behind Sam and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You want me to fix you a drink?"

The dark haired woman turned and looked at the detective and shook her head, "I need a clear head."

Nodding, Perez hugged his friend and sighed deeply, repeating the same prayer that he had been saying since the day this case fell into his lap: Please god, let us find her.

As Karla began to clean up the mess made in the wake of Jack's anger, the phone rang. Quickly making her way over to it, she answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Put Jack on."

Exhaling a breath she wasn't aware she was holding, Marin lowered her voice, "What the hell were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?"

Jonathan Tam merely laughed as he shook his head, "Put Jack on."

Sighing deeply, Karla set the phone down and walked towards the room that Jasmine was being kept in. Butterflies invading her stomach, the woman closed her eyes and took a breath and went in. Finding Jack watching the girl as she slept, she released her breath, "Jack?"

Looking up at her, Keller waited for her to continue.

"Tam's on the phone."

"Stay with her," Jack commanded as he rose to his feet and made his way out to where the phone was located. Picking the receiver up, he said, "You better have a good goddamned reason for doing what you did."

Laughing once again, Tam looked at the bag of money that was sitting next to him as he rode in the unmarked black limousine. "Oh I've got a damn good reason," he said.

"Let's hear it," Keller demanded.

Before he got his answer, the back door opened and in walked Jonathan Tam, cellular phone kept to his ear. "I'm going to turn you in."

"Like hell," Jack said as he slammed the phone down. Racing towards the Asian man, Keller wrapped his fingers around his throat and pressed hard.

The air being squeezed out of him, Tam wrestled against Keller's strength, kicking his legs and swinging his arms, hitting the other man in the face a few times.

Upon hearing the commotion, Karla raced in and saw the two men, "Jack! Tam!" Running towards them, she tried to pull them apart, only to be thrown against the wall by Tam.

"You sonofabitch!" Jack screamed as he punched the other man repeatedly in the stomach. Getting him to the ground, Keller then proceeded to kick him in the ribs as Jonathan lay on the floor, bloodied and in pain.

Reaching for his gun, Keller fired two shots into Jonathan Tam and watched as the life quickly left him. In no mood to deal with anybody any longer, Jack turned on Karla, gun aimed at her.

"Jack," the woman gasped in horror, "I didn't turn on you!"

"Not yet," Keller said through clenched teeth.

"I would never do that to you, you know that." Desperately, Karla took a step towards him.

In a fit of rage, Jack pulled the trigger again, launching a bullet into the woman's chest. Watching her fall to the ground, he went over and stood over her body, his eyes focused on the dying woman's. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispered softly, "I couldn't take the chance."

Looking up, Jack reached for a rag and quickly wiped his prints off the gun and placed it in Jonathan Tam's hand. Making his way down the hallway, he went into the room that Jasmine was being kept in and opened the door.

"Wake up," he said as he went over to her and pulled her out of bed.

Jasmine woke up and looked at Jack, her eyes wide with fear.

"Now you listen to me and you listen to me good, you got it?" Jasmine nodded silently as Jack continued, "I'm taking you home to your parents now. But if you ever breathe a word to anybody that I was involved in this, I will come and get you again and you will not live through it. I will kill you."

Tears fell down the girl's cheeks as she nodded, "I want my mommy and daddy."

Sighing, Jack rose to his feet, "Let's go."

His hand wrapping around the girl's wrist, he led her out to his car and got her in. Once he was seated, he reached for his cell phone and dialed a number. "Eddie, it's me," he said, breathlessly, "I've found her, man, she was roaming out in the desert."


	19. Chapter Nineteen FINAL CHAPTER

Chapter Nineteen

"What do you mean she was out roaming the desert?" Ed asked, suspicious of the way he worded it, yet excited beyond measure that she was alive and okay. "You know what? I don't care, bring her home."

"Will do," Jack promised as he disconnected the call. Tossing his cell phone into the console of the car, he looked at Jasmine, "Remember what I told you."

The little girl had remained a state of shock since she heard the sounds of gunshots. Nodding mutely, she kept her eyes sealed to the windows, the passing scenery making her dizzy.

Ed threw his phone onto the couch and bolted outside, "Samantha Jane!"

Sam looked abruptly at Ed and quickly stood up, "Ed, what is it?"

"They found her."

The woman stopped and looked at him, whispering softly, "What did you say?"

Grinning as he wrapped his arms around her, he pulled her close to him, "They found her, baby, they are bringing her home now."

Sam began to tremble in his arms as the tears fell freely down her face, "Oh god, Ed," she sobbed into his neck.

Walking outside, Delinda and Luis spotted Sam and Ed. Instinctively, Luis wrapped an arm around the blonde haired woman, "What's going on?"

"Jack just called," Ed answered, looking at them, "he's bringing Jasmine home, he found her."

Closing her eyes, Delinda felt a tear of joy fall down her face, "Thank god," she whispered.

Swallowing a lump that was forming in his throat, Luis pulled Delinda close to him and held her, "Thank god," he whispered softly in agreement, planting a kiss on the woman's forehead. "I told you," he smiled, pulling back, looking at her, "I told you that she'd come home."

Delinda nodded as she let out a shaky laugh, "Yeah," she said softly, "you told me."

Grinning as he held her tighter to him, they didn't notice Ed walking up behind them. Softly laying a hand on his daughter's shoulder, Delinda turned around and looked at her father before hugging him tightly. "Daddy, I'm so happy."

Smiling, he kissed her cheek, "I am too, hopefully, we'll all be able to put this behind us and get on with our lives."

She nodded and sighed deeply and then looked at Sam. Carefully making her way over to the woman, she said, "Sam,"

Sam Marquez looked at the woman and gave her a soft smile and hugged her, "I love you, Dee, I always have."

Delinda closed her eyes as she began to cry again, hugging her friend, "I'm so sorry for everything that I said to you. I was so wrong."

"I'm sure I've said worse to you at some point," she laughed.

"Yeah," she laughed with her. The two women pulled apart at the sound of tires pulling into the graveled driveway.

"Oh god," Sam said happily, "she's here."

Quickly running towards Jack's car, she had the door opened before the man had the car stopped. Within seconds, Sam pulled her daughter out of the car and held her close, sobbing hard. "Oh sweetie," she whispered softly as she kissed the little girl's face repeatedly, "I love you so much, you know that right? Daddy and I love you so much, Jas."

Jasmine nodded mutely and looked at Ed, "Daddy," she said quietly.

Ed smiled as he went over and put his hands around the girl's face and brought her head over to him. Kissing her on the forehead, he looked at her and smiled, "Hi, sweetheart." Smiling at the little girl for a few more minutes, Ed walked over to a smiling Jack and extended his hand.

"Thank you."

Jack shrugged and smiled, shaking Ed's hand, "I only did what I knew was right, Eddie."

Nodding, Deline regarded the man for a moment before pulling him to a hug. "I appreciate it, Jack, you've saved this family, for that we won't ever be able to repay you."

Her eyes growing wide, Jasmine buried her face in her mother's shoulder. Grateful that her daughter is home, Sam started to head inside, only to be stopped by Luis, "Sam, she needs to come downtown, I gotta take a statement."

"Oh Luis," she sighed, "Can't we do that in a few days? Please? I just want to get her cleaned up, fed and in bed."

"Honey," Ed said, walking over to her, "She should at least go to the hospital, just to be checked out, she might need some fluids or something."

Sighing once more in defeat, she nodded, "Alright." Glancing down at her daughter, who was clinging to her, she said, "Sweetie, Daddy and I are going to take you to the hospital where the doctors are going to make you all better, okay?"

Jasmine nodded silently as Sam carried her to Ed's Hummer. Getting her strapped in, she climbed into the backseat with her as Ed went to the front seat. Glancing over the top of the car door at Delinda and Luis, he said, "Meet us over, would you?"

Delinda nodded, "Wild horses couldn't keep us away, Dad, you should know that."

Chuckling quietly, Deline stepped up into his car as Luis led Delinda to his own.

As he stood watching everybody file out, Jack Keller shook his head, "You were lucky this time, Eddie," he whispered softly, "but next time, you might not be so lucky." That said, Keller walked to his car and got in. Starting the ignition, he waved at Delinda and Luis who passed him and headed the opposite direction.

Speeding down the road, Keller made all the turns and headed towards McCarran International Airport. Once he got there, he walked in and made his way to the Pan Am counter and smiled at the woman behind it. "I need a ticket to Aquadilla, Puerto Rico, please."

The woman smiled at him as she hit some keys on the keyboard of her computer, "One ticket?"

Keller nodded as he took his wallet out, "Yeah."

Smiling at him once more, she said, "And the name on the ticket?"

Jack paused as he looked through his wallet and took out the ID he had made with his picture and a new name. Smiling at the woman, he handed it to her along with a credit card, "Edward Deline."

The woman accepted the ID and credit card and looked at the ID and then at Jack. Smiling at him, she punched the social security number into the computer and said, "Mr. Deline, it looks like you have the option today to either use your frequent flyer miles or take a thirty per cent discount."

Jack grinned, "I'll use the miles."

"Yes, Sir." A few minutes later, she printed out the ticket and handed it to him along with the credit card and ID card. Smiling at him, she said, "Enjoy your trip."

"I intend to," Jack grinned deviously as he made his way over to a set of chairs and sat down, awaiting for his flight to be called.


End file.
